Batman & Benson 3
by Mcfergeson
Summary: Olivia and the Batman deal with the high price of vengeance as they take on both Two Face and Catwoman. And then there's also the creation of a certain team of superheroes. A direct sequel to Batman & Benson 2.
1. Chapter 1

_Olivia Benson, Alex Cabot and all other characters from Law & Order: Special Victims Unit are owned by Dick Wolf and NBC/Universal. _

_The character of Batman was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. Batman/Bruce Wayne, Batgirl/Barbra Gordon, Robin/Dick Grayson, and all over Batman characters are owned by DC Comics. _

_Superman, Supergirl, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman and Hawkgirl, as well as the Justice League, are all owned by DC Comics. _

_I'm not making any money off of this story. It's just a fanfic written for kicks and giggles. _

_Note: In this story, Olivia and Alex are lovers. If you don't like that sort of thing, then consider yourself warned. Also, while there's no cursing, sex scenes or gore, be warned that this story gets very dark. Now take my hand and come with me down the narrow trail..._

**Batman & Benson 3**

**Chapter One**

Bernard Romano turned his collar up against the chilly rain that came pouring down from the night skies. He would rather be hanging out with the guys, watching the game at the local pub; or he'd rather be home, watching TV with his girlfriend and her daughter--hell, Bernie would even rather be at work…he'd really rather be anyplace but here right now.

But he didn't have any choice.

That had been the story of his life for the past two weeks; ever since this rat bastard had first introduced himself to Bernie with a phone call right out of the blue one night. "You don't know me," the deep-voiced man had said, "but I know you, Bernie, and I know what you did. And unless you want everybody in your life to know what you did, then you'd better listen to what I have to say very closely."

That phone call was the beginning of the private hell of Bernard Romano--who, in a previous life, had been involved in a bank robbery in Phoenix, Arizona. Because the robbery had been violent, because an elderly woman--a bank teller--had been pistol-whipped, the police had been especially gung-ho in tracking them all down. Bernie wound up serving twenty years in prison. Once he did his time and got released, he'd changed his name and moved here to Gotham City, hoping to start a new life--one that did not involve crime.

He would have been very happy just to keep his head down and get by on his meager salary from his job as a janitor at the Showcase Square mall, but then he met Ellen. And after meeting her, Bernie realized that he never truly knew what happiness was until now. Ellen worked as a clerk in the Yours Truly cosmetics store, and from the moment they first met, Bernie knew that she was the one. She had a little girl, Darleen, who was five. Darleen's dad was in the state pen for attempted robbery of a gas station. Ellen only spoke bad things about her ex-husband, calling him a gutless loser for turning to a life of crime, and she never wanted anything more to do with him.

Bernie never told her about his criminal past out of shame at first, and when he realized how much Ellen hated her ex-husband for the crime he committed, Bernie couldn't bring himself to tell her now because of fear…he was afraid that Ellen would reject him, as well. Bernie would do anything to prevent that. And so when this rat bastard called from out of nowhere, blackmailing him, Bernie had no choice but to do whatever he wanted. Bernie wasn't proud of some of the things he'd been forced to do, but if it meant keeping his perfect life with Ellen intact, then he would do anything.

Bernie arrived at the broken down old tenement. Stepping inside, the squalid place looked to be a haven for rats and other vermin--but at least it was warm and offered shelter from the freezing rain.

He took a few steps into the darkness, shaking off the cold, when he was abruptly startled by a light that came on at the far end of the room. It was an elegant floor lamp, and it illuminated the front half of a cushioned chair.

There was a man seated in the chair. Bernie could not see his face, but he saw the man's legs, which were clad in dark slacks, his feet in simple black loafers.

"Hello, Bernie," the deep-voiced man said. "So good to see you."

'It's him!' Bernie thought, the anger rising within him. At last he was finally face to face with this blackmailing slug. Bernie noticed something else, something odd. There was a strange flash that emitted from the darkness. It was as if something caught the reflection of the light, but only for a spilt second.

"I did what you asked," Bernie said. "Ok? I mean, I don't know what the hell that little errand was about--and I don't really want to know. But we're done, right?"

"Sure, Bernie, sure," the deep-voiced man said with a dry chuckle. "We're done…for tonight."

"What the hell do you mean?" Bernie asked, feeling a growing coldness from within his stomach. "I thought, once I--"

"Make no mistake, my friend, only _I _decide when you're done," the shadowy man told him. "And this little ride of ours is just beginning. Stick around, Bernie, meet the others."

Before Bernie could even ask about what he meant, several other men entered the room. Their jackets were also slick from the chilly autumn rain. One of the men angrily glared at Bernie and said, "Are you him?"

"Over here, Stevens," the deep-voiced man said. There was that annoying flash of light from the darkness again. Bernie noticed that the shadowy man abruptly caught something with his hand. When he flipped it up again, Bernie saw the flash once more, and realized what it was.

'A coin,' he thought. 'He's flipping a coin in his hand.'

"Stevens, Peterson, Jamison, did you all do what I asked?" the deep-voiced man said.

The three men nodded in unison, all looking uneasy, and Bernie wondered what the rat bastard in the chair had on them. 'Were they being blackmailed into working for this son of a bitch, too?'

"Very good. Boys, meet Bernie. He's going to be my major-domo, my right hand man, so to speak."

"Your right hand man for what?" Bernie asked, growing angry. "What the hell are you planning here? I didn't sign on for anything beyond--"

The shadowy figure leaned forward in the chair and said, "Hey Bernie, how's Ellen and her little girl--what's her name? Oh yes, little Darleen. How are they doing, Bernie? They in good health? Do you wish for them to _remain_ that way?"

Bernie became flooded with rage when he realized what this son of a bitch was doing, what he was insinuating. "You stay away from them! You hear me?!"

"Should I kill the both of them? Or just Ellen?" the shadowy man mused. "Heads, I kill just the mother; tails, I off them both."

He flipped the coin up in the air and expertly caught it with one gloved hand. When he revealed the coin, Bernie saw that the heads side was badly scratched up.

"Looks like I'll just be killing Ellen," the deep-voiced man said, as he emitted a guttural laughter that sent chills up Bernie's back. "We'll save sweet little Darleen for another day, shall we?"

Stevens leaned forward to Bernie and whispered, "Look, he's got stuff on all of us here. He can harm our families, too. So just do what he wants and don't rock the boat, ok?"

"Ok, ok," Bernie quickly said, holding his hands up in surrender to the shadowy man. "I-I'm sorry, all right? I'll do whatever you want, just leave Ellen and Darleen alone, please."

"That's more like it, Bernie," the shadowy man said, sitting back in his chair. "Are you now ready to take on the job of your life?"

"What job?" Bernie asked.

"The job of vengeance, my good Bernie; sweet, everlasting vengeance. Are you ready for it?"

Bernie let out a defeated, weary sigh as he reluctantly nodded. "Whatever you say...Mr. Janus."

**B&B**

The following morning, Inspector Olivia Benson, commanding the Special Victim's Unit of the Gotham City Police force, strode out into the squad room.

Technically, it was _her_ squad room--and yet, after over a year of being the commander of the GCPD SVU, it was still hard for Olivia to get used to the idea that she was now in charge.

She stood quietly for a few moments and watched the good-natured banter and joking that flew between her detectives. The gist of the fun centered around partners Andrea and Michael, who were squabbling over which of them took the last doughnut on the coffee table. They reminded her of the days when she and Elliot, her old partner from the NYPD SVU, would good-naturedly banter back and forth. As she watched them, Olivia realized that a part of her hated to be the one to break up this entertaining scene, yet she had no choice, because duty called.

'Now I know how Cragen felt whenever he broke bad news to us.' Olivia grimly thought, reflecting on a past that now felt as if it were a thousand years ago.

Taking a deep breath, she said, in her best authoritative voice: "May I have your attention, please?"

All of Olivia's detectives immediately quieted down and gave her their full attention.

"We have an Amber alert," Olivia announced. "Simone Weatherly, age 15, has been reported missing. She never showed up for school today. And when uniforms back-tracked her route to school, they found her school bag had been left discarded on the sidewalk of East Nash street, about a block from her house. I've already got uniforms searching the area for her. Andrea and Mike: I want you to head to Simone's home and talk with her parents. Joe and Phil, head to the school, and see what you can do there."

As the squad room flew into full alert, Olivia went back into her office and called the uniformed commander on the scene, Sergeant Damon Menisci, and informed him that Andrea and Mike were on the way to take over the investigation. Menisci told her that, so far, they haven't found the missing girl--nor have they uncovered any leads.

'Damn it,' Olivia thought, as she hung up the phone. 'This isn't looking good….' She glanced down at the school photo of Simone. The girl smiled back at her in a cheerfully confident manner. Clad in her school uniform, Simone was a dark-haired young beauty with green eyes that radiated a singular intelligence.

'Where are you, honey?' Olivia wondered. 'Are you safe? Are you being held against your will? Christ, I hope you're all right!'

Linda Preston, Olivia's aide, appeared in the doorway, looking sheepish. "Sorry to disturb you, boss. But you've got visitors. They're feds."

Olivia let out a weary sigh. The last thing she wanted was to be diverted from Simone's case. "They here on official business?"

"Yeah, but one of them says she knows you." Linda frowned. "She has a weird name, too. It's Samantha Spade. Sam Spade? Like in that Humphrey Bogart movie?"

A slow smile spread across Olivia's face. "Yeah, I do know her. We caught Harlequin together. Send them in, please, Linda."

The smile never left her face as Olivia sat behind her desk and waited for Sam. Other than a few phone calls and emails, they haven't actually seen each other since the wild time they shared last year, when the Riddler and the Joker decided to cause mayhem at the same time the police convention was in town.

However, once she saw Samantha Spade, Olivia's smile vanished. Special Agent Samantha Spade of the FBI's Missing Person's Squad was just as beautiful as Olivia remembered her, with kind, compassionate eyes set within a narrow face that was framed by long blond hair. But she now appeared very exhausted and haggard, as if something had been grinding on her.

Instead of Jack Malone, Sam was with a younger man with sandy brown hair--he also had a drained expression on his face.

Despite her fatigued state, Sam's face lit up at the sight of Olivia. "Hey Liv," she said, smiling.

"Hey, Sam," Olivia replied, coming around the desk to give her a hug. "Long time, no see."

"This is my partner, Martin Fitzgerald," Sam said, introducing the man who was with her. "Martin, this is the legendary Liv."

"I've heard so much about you," Martin said, shaking hands with Olivia. "I almost feel as if I know you, Inspector Benson."

"If you really know me, then you should call me Liv," she said. She gestured for the both of them to take a seat. "If you don't mind my saying so, you guys look like you've been through hell."

"That about sums it up," Sam said grimly. "We've been tracking somebody across the country for the past few days; he's a real scumbag, Liv. He's our prime suspect for a series of rape-murders in several states."

"His name is Donovan Hartford," Martin added. "He's thirty five, single, and very wealthy."

"He's got an army of lawyers, whom we've been fighting tooth and nail for the past few days," Sam interjected.

"Hartford," Olivia said, as a cold, clammy feeling erupted from within her.

"You know him?" Sam asked hopefully.

"No, never heard of him, personally. But I know the family. The Hartfords are old money. Their ancestors were a part of Gotham City when it was first incorporated into a village, well over three hundred years ago."

"We knew he had family here in Gotham City," Sam said. "We figured, thanks to the heat we've been putting on him, that Donovan had come home to roost. You know, to rest and keep his head down."

Olivia's eyes grew wide when she saw the school photo of the missing Simone Weatherly on her desk. "He may not be keeping his head down…."

"What do you mean?" Martin asked.

Olivia held up the picture of Simone. "This is Simone Weatherly, age 15. She's been reported missing just now."

Both Sam and Martin gave each other an alarmed look. "We prevented him from grabbing a woman--a college student--in Boston a few days ago," Sam said. "We couldn't prove it was Hartford; the woman never saw her would-be abductor's face, but we just knew it was him!"

"He might still have the urge, and feeling frustrated, grabs the first girl he sees in Gotham City," Olivia said with a sigh.

"Or it could just be a coincidence," Martin offered.

After a moment of silence, Sam glanced up at Olivia and said, "I don't believe in coincidences."

Olivia grimly nodded in agreement. "Neither do I. Excuse me, I've gotta make some phone calls."

**B&B**

Alfred Pennyworth let out a heavy sigh when he glanced into the guest suite and saw that its occupant wasn't present. When Alfred checked the bedroom, he noted that the bed had not been slept in at all.

'Where could he be?' Alfred wondered, as he strode out of the suite. 'I do hope he has not stayed up all night again.'

Alfred paused in his stride when a voice asked, "How is he this morning?"

The elderly man glanced up the staircase and saw Bruce Wayne standing at the top. "He's not in his guest quarters, Master Bruce," Alfred replied. "And I don't believe he went to bed at all last night--speaking of which, shouldn't you be doing the same? You've only just come home from your 'nocturnal activities' a few hours ago."

"I know, but I was worried about him," Bruce replied, as he descended the stairs. "Now it appears I have good cause."

"I'll search the east wing, Master Bruce," Alfred said. "If you would be so kind to search the--"

When he glanced out the windows, Bruce abruptly held up a hand. "Wait, Alfred. There he is. In the garden, by the fountain."

Alfred felt his heart sink when he saw the boy sitting by the side of the fountain, staring forlornly into the water. "Oh, dear…the poor lad."

"Was I like that?" Bruce asked quietly. "After my parents were--"

He trailed off, unable to give voice to the private pain that he suffered all those years ago--the very same pain which sparked the birth of an avenging alter-ego who now prowled the night.

"The pain he's feeling is universal, Master Bruce," Alfred replied.

"No thanks to me." Bruce shook his head in disgust. "I was right there, and yet I did nothing. I simply watched them die, just like everybody else in that damned circus tent."

"You can't blame yourself for what happened to the boy's family," Alfred gently told him. "And you've done so much for him since then."

"It's not enough," Bruce said firmly. "It's never enough. I shouldn't have taken that night off, Alfred. I should have been on patrol as usual."

"Should have, could have," Alfred muttered, shaking his head. "Don't do this to yourself, Master Bruce. The past is the past, and we must focus on the present, on the here and now. And right now, that boy looks like he needs someone to talk to."

Alfred started to walk outside, until Bruce stopped him. "Let me, Alfred. Why don't you rustle up some breakfast for us?"

The old man smiled. "Very good, Master Bruce."

**B&B**

Richard Grayson Jr. stared at the rippling water, at the fancy patterns that spread across the pond--and yet all he could see in his mind's eye were three bodies, falling through the air until they landed with a sickening thud on the ground.

Richard could still hear Timothy's voice ringing in his ears. "You can try telling everybody to call you Richard," his little brother had taunted him on the platform high above the crowds. "But, to me, you'll always be a Dick! Dick Grayson…that'll be your name as far as I'm concerned. Dick, Dickie, Tricky Dick Grayson!"

Richard, who had recently turned seventeen and wanted to change his name to something more mature than 'Dick', quickly grew tired of his eleven year old brother's constant taunting. He had grabbed the younger boy by the collar and muttered, "When this set's over, I'm taking you behind the elephant cage and beating the stuffing out of you, you little punk!"

"Boys, knock it off!" their father had said. "This is a hard set coming up, and you both need to stay focused!"

Timothy gave Richard one last smug look as he took hold of his trapeze. He waited until their mother had swung out from the opposite platform, and then Timothy and their father had swung out together side by side. And then, within an instant, all of them were abruptly gone.

Richard's part in the act called for him to wait several seconds before joining the rest of his family in mid-air--and in retrospect, that was what saved his life.

He remembered letting out a scream--he had shouted something, but Richard couldn't remember what it was. All he could remember was the horrible sight of his mother, father and little brother all plunging to their deaths right before him. Even though the trapezes gave way, the safety net should have saved them--but it didn't. Once his family hit the net, it also came loose, and they continued their fall uninterrupted.

As he stared at their lifeless bodies from atop the platform in shock, all Richard wanted was to be with his family, even in death. And so he jumped from the platform…only to be caught by Lazlo The Strongman, who had quickly climbed up to the platform to prevent the very thing that Richard had tried to do.

Lazlo brought the devastated Richard down, and when he ran up to his family's shattered bodies, Richard collapsed into a sobbing wreck. He kept crying, until he felt a man's hand gently touch his shoulder. He had glanced up through tear-filled eyes and saw Bruce Wayne for the first time. Rachel Dawes stood next to him.

That was when Richard also saw Olivia Benson for the first time. She began ordering people to clear the ring. "I don't care if they're with the frigging circus," she shouted to somebody. "Get everybody out of here, now!"

What happened next was all a haze to Richard. Although the circus tent had been crowded with people for that evening's performance, in Richard's memory, it had been empty, devoid of life--which might as well been the case, since he had lost the three people who had meant the most to him in one fell swoop.

He recalled, at one point, a uniformed police officer reaching out to grab him--only to be brushed away by a hand.

"He's coming home with us," Bruce Wayne said firmly.

For the last two weeks, Richard lived with Bruce Wayne and Rachel Dawes at their luxurious mansion. Bruce paid for his family's funeral, and everyone treated Richard like a prince, giving him whatever he wanted or needed. He noted, not without some irony, that everyone called him Richard.

And yet all he truly wanted was to hear his little brother Timothy call him Dick again. But his little brother, as well as his mother and father, were all gone forever.

That last thought caused the tears to well up in his eyes again. He felt a presence next to him, and when Richard glanced up, he saw Bruce Wayne standing there.

"I can't stop crying," Richard said, as he wiped the tears from his eyes. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to…."

"No, don't," Bruce said gently. "Never apologize for crying, Richard. After what you've been through these past few weeks, you have more than enough cause for tears."

Richard glanced down at the ground. "Alfred tells me you lost your parents when you were a kid, too."

"I did," Bruce replied. There appeared to be a haunted look in his eyes. "I was much younger than you are, but, believe me, I know what you're going through right now."

"Is that why you took me in? Helped me?"

Bruce nodded. "I wish I could have done more."

"Believe me, you've been a big help, I really appreciate it," Richard said sincerely. He glanced at the pond uneasily, not sure how to say what he wanted to say next. He decided he might as well spit it out. "I've heard that my family's deaths might not have been an accident. They were saying on the news that the trapezes, as well as the safety net, were weakened by having been pre-cut. Somebody deliberately wanted them to fall to their deaths! Is this true?"

"There's an investigation underway," Bruce said carefully.

"If it turns out that they've been murdered," Richard said, as a seething rage filled his very soul, "I'll hunt the son of a bitch down myself and kill him!"

Bruce placed a hand on his shoulder. "Let's leave it to the police, Richard. I know the two detectives who're investigating the case personally, and they're very good. If anybody can get to the bottom of this, they will."

"Yeah, you're right," Richard said with a sigh. "Hey, uh, I was just wondering if you would call me Dick from now on. It was…it was what my little brother called me…."

"Of course, Dick," Bruce replied. "C'mon, Alfred's making breakfast for us."

As Dick Grayson strode into Wayne Manor with Bruce, he hoped these cops investigating his family's death were as good as they were supposed to be.

'Because if I can't get satisfaction through the legal system, then I may have to go and get some justice on my own,' he thought darkly.

**B&B**

"Hey, Montoya, you ever think about running away to join the circus?"

"No," she muttered, gazing out the window of their unmarked patrol car with a bored look. "Because every time I'm out with you, Harvey, I feel like I'm in the circus anyway."

Harvey Bullock started laughing, which caused his massive belly to wiggle under his doughnut-stained shirt and tie. Then his laughter abruptly halted when he gave her a sideward look of suspicion. "That _was_ a joke, wasn't it? I mean, you ain't trying to insinuate something here, are ya?"

Montoya muttered a few curses in Spanish under her breath. "Yes, Harvey, I'm joking with you," she replied, her voice tight with tension.

"What's the matter with you today?" Bullock asked. "You're very edgy…more so than usual."

"It's this place," Montoya said, gesturing at the empty circus grounds around them. "There's nothing more depressing to me than a closed-down circus. And what's even more depressing is that there might be a murderer here."

"I don't agree with you on that," Bullock muttered.

"How can you say that?!" Montoya said, stunned. "The forensics made it very clear--"

"That acrobat family was murdered, I'm not arguing that," Harvey said, cutting her off. "It's just that I think the killer is an old friend of ours: Rupert Thorne."

"Why would Boss Thorne want these acrobats killed?" Montoya skeptically asked.

"It's not that he wanted them killed personally," Bullock told her. "But that Thorne was using their deaths to send a message. Which is, nothing happens in Gotham City without him getting his 'taste'."

That gave Montoya pause. "You thinking the circus refused to pay off Thorne for operating in Gotham City, and so Thorne struck back by having the Graysons killed?"

"I know it, Renee."

"Yeah, but can you prove it, Harvey?"

"That's what we're gonna find out," Bullock said. He gestured at a man who walked up to the recreational vehicle they had been staking out. "There he is now. C'mon, let's see what falls out when we shake this tree."

"Harold Grantee?" Montoya called to the man as they got out of the car. "You Harold Grantee, the owner/operator of this circus?"

"Yes, I am," he warily said. He had one hand on the door knob of the RV. "Who are you?"

Montoya and Bullock flashed their badges at him. "Gotham City PD," Montoya replied. "We'd like a word with you."

"I've said everything that I'm going to say to the police," Grantee wearily said.

"Yeah, well, now you're gonna talk to us," Harvey persisted.

Grantee shook his head. "You know, it's not enough that you people have effectively put me out of business by--"

Grantee never finished his complaint, thanks to the gun shot that sliced through the late morning air. He slid down the side of the RV, already dead, leaving a trail of blood on the wall of the vehicle.

Bullock and Montoya instinctively pulled out their handguns and sought cover behind a metal drum. Montoya quickly called in the shooting on the police radio, while Bullock tried to see where the shot could have come from. Until, realizing something, Bullock abruptly stood up and casually walked out from behind the drum.

"Harvey, what are you doing?!" Montoya cried in a panic. "Get back behind cover! We still got a shooter out there!"

"No we don't. Not anymore." Bullock gestured at Grantee's dead body and added, "The bastard got who he was gunning for, so he's long gone, now."

"It was a hit to keep him from talking to us," Montoya said, as she slowly stood up and stared at Grantee. "Looks like you were right, Harvey. Thorne is behind all this."

"Yeah," Bullock muttered. "But we still can't prove squat!"

**B&B**

"C'mon ladies," Rupert Thorne called to the trio of women by the edge of the pool, "I ain't paying you to just look pretty. Do something!"

One of the bikini-clad women stood up from her lounge chair and stared petulantly at him. "Whadidya wanna us ta do, Mister Thorne?"

Thorne grimaced. Ruby was a gorgeous young woman who looked spectacular in a bikini--which was why Thorne paid her to frolic in his indoor pool--but her voice…dear God, her voice was like listening to nails scratching a blackboard. Thorne could see why she was an exotic dancer in his strip tease joint, because she had the body for it; yet, amazingly, the kid actually had aspirations to be an actress.

"Do me a favor, Ruby, and don't quit your day job, huh?" Thorne told her.

"What?" Ruby screeched. "Whadidya mean, Mister Thorne?"

Candace Leopold strode into the vast room where Thorne's indoor pool was. It was located in the west wing of his mansion, covered over by a glass dome.

"Sorry to disturb you, Boss Thorne," Candace said, holding up a phone. "But you have a call."

"Thanks Candy," Thorne said, taking the phone from her. "Yeah?"

"A-ok," a male voice told him--then he abruptly hung up.

Thorne smiled broadly as he switched of the phone and handed it back to Candace. "Marvelous, just marvelous…."

"Good news, I take it, Boss Thorne?" Candace asked.

"You can say that, Candy, my girl," Thorne replied, smiling. "A loose end has just been tied up for me. Now there's nothing connecting us to the circus hit."

"Love it when a plan comes together," Candace said, as she took the phone from her boss and left the room.

"Mister Thorne!" Ruby screeched. "Ya still didn't say whadoya wanna us ta do!"

Just then, Angela leapt up from her lounge chair and shoved Ruby into the pool. This caused Thorne to start laughing uproariously.

Not to be outdone, Star, the third woman in the paid pool party team, suddenly got to her feet and tried to shove Angela into the pool. Yet Angela turned about and tried to fight at the last second--only to lose her footing, causing both women to fall into the water at the same time.

"Nice, very nice," Thorne said with approval, as he watched the trio of bikini-clad women splash around in the water. He took out a cigar and lit it, savoring the taste--as well as the eye candy in the pool before him. "Ah, yes, it's good to be back…."

**B&B**

"First off, I'd like to thank you for coming in today, Mr. Hartford," Assistant District Attorney Alex Cabot said.

Donovan Hartford, who sat on the opposite side of the interrogation table, waved his hand. "My family has a long and proud history of helping the police here in Gotham City, Ms. Cabot."

"Within reason, of course," Fred Saracen, Hartford's attorney, added. "May I ask why you called for a meeting with my client?"

Despite the fact that that little dig was meant to rattle her, Alex glanced casually down at the file she had spread out on the table. She took the brief time to figure out her strategy. 'They're already on guard, so I might as well go for the throat and see what happens….'

"We have an Amber alert," she said, removing her glasses. "A fifteen year old girl by the name of Simone Weatherly has been abducted while on her way to school this morning."

Alex glanced up and stared hard at Hartford--yet if he was guilty of the girl's disappearance, he was an expert at hiding it.

"Once again, Ms. Cabot," Saracen said, sounding bored, "why did you call my client to this meeting?"

"Well, whenever a child is abducted, we usually round up all the scumbags whom we think might have something to do with it," Alex cheerfully said. "And your client was at the very top of our scumbag list!"

That was when Alex saw it; the crack in Hartford's calm mask lasted only a split second, but it was enough to show that she had rattled him momentarily.

"Oh, this is simply outrageous!" Saracen yelled. "Do you have any idea who my client is?"

"The FBI's prime suspect in a series of rape/murders that took place all across the country," Alex shot back. "Thus making him _our_ prime suspect in this case, as well."

"The FBI have launched a witch hunt against my client," Saracen told her. "Two of their agents, Samantha Spade and Martin Fitzgerald, have personally persecuted my client, who is completely innocent of whatever frame job they're trying to pull on him."

"Be that as it may, I still need to know the whereabouts of Mr. Hartford this morning," Alex said.

"No, you do not," Saracen replied, as he got up from his seat. "Come, Donovan. There's no need for us to be here."

Hartford got up with his attorney--then he paused to stare longingly at Alex. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Ms. Cabot," he said politely. "I do hope we can meet again some time."

"Donovan, come on," Saracen said, as he quickly shepherded his client out the door.

A chill ran up Alex's spine as she watched the men leave the room. Hartford shot her one more look over his shoulder. It was a smug expression, one that told her that he was effectively out of her reach.

'Dear God, he might as well have admitted to killing all those women,' she thought. As Alex got up, she glanced at the mirror behind her. No doubt Olivia--who was on the other side--will be fuming.

After collecting her personal things, Alex entered the adjoining room. Her boss, District Attorney Rachel Dawes was there, along with agents Spade and Fitzgerald, Commissioner Gordon…and Olivia, whom--as Alex had correctly guessed--was indeed very angry.

"That son of a bitch!" Olivia snarled. "Did you see that? Did you see the way he looked at Alex!"

"Liv, c'mon, take it easy," Gordon soothed her. "You know how these psychos love to play their little mind games."

When she saw Alex, Olivia's mood changed from anger to concern. "Hey, you ok?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Alex told her, smiling. "Relax, Liv, I've faced worse than that before."

But Olivia, still livid, shook her head. "That smug son of a bitch…."

"Now you see what we've been dealing with," Sam Spade said with disgust. "Hartford's always been playing that game with us--while always stopping just short of admitting guilt."

Alex turned to Rachel and said, "Sorry. I didn't get much, not with Saracen sitting there, biting my head off."

"Not your fault, Alex; it was a fishing expedition," Rachel said. "We've got nothing legally, but whatever doubt I had before that Hartford's involved in Simone Weatherly's abduction has just been erased now."

Gordon had been talking on a phone for the past minute. He hung up. "I've got Mr. Hartford under police surveillance, starting right now. The Hartford family may not like that--but screw 'em, a little girl's life is at stake here."

Martin Fitzgerald grabbed his jacket. "If you don't mind, Commissioner, we'd like to ride along on the surveillance, maybe offer whatever advice we can."

"Be my guest," Gordon told him. "The more people we've got breathing down his neck, the more of a chance Hartford will slip up."

After Spade and Fitzgerald left the room, Gordon closed the door and turned to face the women. "Well, I don't know how you ladies feel, but I'm calling him in on this."

"Yes," Rachel said, without hesitation. "We need all the help we can get. As you stated before, Jim, a little girl's life is at stake here."

Alex glanced at her watch. "It's still daylight; a little early to use the Bat-signal…."

Rachel looked as if she wanted to say she would call him, since she was practically living with the Batman's alter-ego these days. Yet she reluctantly kept quiet in order to preserve the Batman's true identity--as well as her relationship with Bruce--from Gordon.

"Leave it to me," Olivia spoke up. "I'll get in touch with him."

'Batman's buddy,' Alex thought, with a slight smile.

**B&B**

Stevens glanced over the area once more. Then he nodded. "Looks good."

"Then let's do it," Jamison said.

The men got out of the car and entered the warehouse through a broken window on the side. The warehouse was located in an industrial park, with no prying eyes around--yet they still waited until it was dark, just to be on the safe side.

They entered the warehouse through an office that was empty. Stevens had sized up the office and suggested they start the fire here, where there was plenty of paper.

"Nah," Jamison said. "Mr. Janus wanted us to start the fire in the warehouse itself. He wanted to make sure that the merchandise itself went up."

"What's the merchandise, anyway?" Stevens asked, as he frowned at the piles of cardboard boxes.

"Who the hell knows, and who the hell cares," Jamison muttered. "Let's just get the job done so we can go home."

"Wait, you hear that?" Stevens asked. "I thought I heard a sound…."

Jamison was about to tell him to knock it off until he heard the noise, as well. Pulling out their guns, Jamison and Stevens warily went down a corridor in-between the boxes. When Stevens grabbed his arm, Jamison glanced up to see a shadowy figure standing on top of a pile of boxes.

The figure threw out its arms, spreading out a cape in the shape of a bat behind it.

"It's him!" Stevens cried in sheer terror. "It's the Batman!"

Yet Jamison thought there was something wrong about this whole situation. "Is it me, or does he look a little…short to you?"

"Put down your weapons, now!" the figure ordered, as it stepped out of the shadows. "Or else!"

But Jamison was amazed that the voice that came from this figure had sounded very young, and female. And when he finally saw this intruder in the light, he saw why.

It was a girl, who looked barely fifteen, dressed in a Batman costume, albeit one that was cut to fit her petite figure. The costume was all black, save for the boots, gloves, belt, the back of the cape, and the bat-insignia on her chest, which were yellow.

Her bat mask covered her entire head, except for the bottom of her face, and an opening in the back that permitted her long red hair to flow out onto her neck and shoulders.

Jamison and Stevens exchanged a stunned look.

Then they both burst into laughter.

"Who the hell are you supposed to be, Batman's kid?" Stevens said, still laughing.

"Batkid," Jamison said, and they both started laughing even harder.

"This is your last warning!" the girl warned them, her voice unsteady.

"Yeah, we'll take it into consideration, Batkid," Jamison muttered, as he gave the boxes she stood on a hard kick.

The girl--Batgirl, Jamison guessed she was called--lost her balance and fell from the top of the boxes. However, she still managed to gracefully land on the floor with a roll of her body that would put most gymnasts to shame. She deftly got to her feet--

--and began running away from them.

**B&B**

'This was a very bad idea….' Barbra Gordon thought, as she frantically ran down the isles between the boxes. Having recently finished her costume, she had went on the prowl this evening to break in her new duds, as well as to get a lead on where Catwoman might strike next. The super burglar had been last seen in and around these warehouses in the industrial park, and Barbara had been hoping to catch her in the act--but instead she ran into these guys.

"Yoo-hoo, Batgirl!" one of the men called. "Come back, we won't bite!"

'It's Batwoman!' Barbra angrily thought, as she paused by a column to catch her breath. 'I don't get this, these guys are usually peeing their pants the moment they first _see_ Batman--but I don't scare them at all! What gives?!'

"Batgirl!" the man called again. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

The man sounded like he was close, so Barbra quickly darted the other way down the isle--until she ran smack dab into his accomplice, who blocked her way. "I got her, Stevens!" he called to his buddy.

The other man appeared, blocking the only other way out of the isle. He reached out the grab her, until Barbara gave him a good kick in the side, which caused him to back off.

"Oh, Batgirl likes to play rough," the other man said, smiling. "That's fine. Because we like to play rough, too."

'Oh my God,' Barbra thought, as she watched the men approach her in sheer terror. She knew she couldn't very well fight the both of them off, and they gave her no option to escape. 'Oh, no, please….'

"My, my, my…." a sultry female voice called out from the darkness. "Such big, brave men picking on a little girl…."

The men stopped their advance on Barbra and nervously glanced all around them. "Who said that?!" one of them demanded.

She emerged from the darkness at one end of the isle, her soft-soled boots silent on the concrete. Clad in a gray and black costume that hugged her slender form, she strode towards them in a carefree manner as her hand pulled on the whip that was wrapped around her waist, and--with an expert flick of her wrist--uncoiled it from her body like a live snake. Her mask was that of a cat, complete with little cat ears, and the very way she moved was almost feline in description.

"You boys like to play rough?" she asked, in that same deep, sultry voice. "Then why don't you try playing rough with a _real_ woman?"

When one of the men raised his gun at her, Catwoman--and there was no doubt in Barbra's mind as to who this was--flicked the whip, which cracked loudly. The man yelled in pain as the gun fell from his hand. Catwoman flicked her whip once more, knocking the gun from the hand of his accomplice.

Then she kicked the first man in the stomach, which caused him to drop to the floor. The second man tried to turn and run away, but Catwoman flicked her whip once more. The man let out a gagging sound as the end of the whip wrapped around his neck. Catwoman pulled him back towards her, where she punched him flat across the face. Once he hit the floor, she kicked him in the face, instantly knocking him unconscious.

A stunned Barbara had stood watching all of this with her mouth hanging open. She had heard of Catwoman, but this was the first time Barbra had ever seen her in action.

Catwoman glanced at her, as if noticing Barbra for the first time, and her eyes were a piercing blue.

"And what are you supposed to be?" Catwoman sardonically asked. "Bat-Mite?"

Barbra's eyes grew wide with rage. "It's Batwoman!"

"It looks more like Batgirl to me," Catwoman muttered derisively. "I didn't know Batman was developing a franchise."

Barbara just glared at her in frustration. "You're coming with me."

"That's gratitude for you," Catwoman replied. She casually wrapped her whip around her waist as she began to walk away. "Go home, Bat-Mite. Go surf the net, or play with your i-Pod, or whatever adorable little girls like you do."

"Listen you--" Barbara said, as she started to go after her.

She stopped dead in her tracks when Catwoman raised a hand at her. Her hand had razor-sharp claws on the end of each finger. "If you want to play with kitty, then you better be prepared to get scratched, Bat-Mite."

Barbra remained where she was, feeling very humiliated and angry, as Catwoman slinked off into the darkness. Once she heard the distant sirens, Barbra realized that she also had to leave.

'I'll get her,' Barbra swore, as she broke into a run, 'one way or another, I will bring Catwoman to justice!'

**B&B**

'Fools,' Donovan Hartford thought, as he entered his playroom. Those FBI agents, Spade and Fitzgerald, were complete and utter fools--as were the police here in Gotham City. Donovan knew all too well that he was being followed; it was so blisteringly obvious from all the people in the street, trying hard not to be noticed by him--yet who kept updating his movements into concealed radios.

'Oh, they thought they were so smart, didn't they?' he thought, as he took off his jacket and placed it on a metal hook in the room. Donovan turned on the bare bulb that hung from the ceiling and was pleased to see that his little playroom--a complete torture dungeon--was exactly as he had left it. It was hidden in the belfry of an old church that his construction business was currently renovating. Normally, he didn't like to play this close to home, but he had been feeling very antsy lately, and little Simone was just too tasty a morsel for him to pass up.

It had been all too easy for Donovan to shake off his dogged little army of law enforcement agents. Once he made the sudden turn into the alley, he ducked into the cellar of the abandoned store and just kept running. The cellar ran for several blocks underground, and even when he hit the streets again, Donovan had dumped his jacket, changing his description as much as possible, as he continued taking alleyways and back roads all the way here. He even entered the old church through the side entrance, avoiding any witnesses in the front. Oh yes, he thought of everything.

Donovan smiled when he saw the dusty old cross on the wall. It reminded him of his grandmother, who was the only member of his family who had any suspicions about Donovan's little predilections. While on her death bed, the old woman had pleaded with him to convert to Christianity.

"It's not too late, Donny," she had said. "Give your love to Christ, and He will save you!"

But Donovan, who at that time had already killed three women, merely laughed at his grandmother. The stupid old bitch never understood that he was a predator, and--as such--he took pleasure in the hunt for young flesh. But since his latest kill will take place in an old church, Donovan supposed he should dedicate it to that old geezer.

'Speaking of kills,' Donovan thought, as he gazed at a section of the room that was curtained off. 'Let's get to it!'

"Hope you're awake, Simone," Donovan called in a sing-song voice, "because playtime is about to begin!"

Yet when he pulled the curtain to the side, Donovan was startled to see that the chair in which he had tied Simone Weatherly was now empty. He glanced over and saw the now untied girl standing against the wall, watching him with such an intensity that it actually made Donavan uneasy.

"Oh, man," she whispered to him. "Are you gonna get it…."

Before that remark could even sink in, something out of the corner of Donovan's eye had caught his attention.

One of the shadows had begun to move.

Donovan watched, stunned, as it drew itself up close towards him in a monstrous shape, with great, sweeping wings and a pair of pointed ears on the top of its head.

Donovan was struck across the face with a blow so powerful, so potent, that all he could do was helplessly careen towards the floor. He landed with a grunt, then rolled over and saw the monster loom over him, as if coming in for the kill.

"Jesus...sweet Jesus," Donovan said in a panic, "save me!"

The shadowy thing reached down and hauled Donovan up by the throat. Then it leaned towards him and, in an inhuman, blood-curdling whisper, said: "Your God has forsaken you. You're all mine, now."

"NO!" Donovan started to scream, just before he was slugged in the mouth once again. This time the blow sent him straight through a plate glass window.

**B&B**

He was good, Batman had to give him that. He had managed to shake off the best that the Gotham City Police Department had to throw at him, which included detectives from the Special Victims Unit, who were all personally led by Olivia herself. He even managed to shake off the determined duo of Spade and Fitzgerald, the FBI agents who made it their sworn duty to stop him. He was indeed very good.

But Batman was better.

It didn't hurt that he already knew where Hartford was headed. Having done some research into holdings of the Hartford family earlier in the day, Batman had discovered that Hartford's construction firm was busy working on this old church. And he realized that this monster would be just perverted enough to use it for his latest kill.

And now look at him. Having been flung through the plate glass window, Hartford was crawling around on his hands and knees on the ledge outside. It began to rain, and the driving downpour made this little weasel appear even more pathetic than he already was.

Batman glanced at Simone. "Stay here. This won't take long."

"Sure," she readily replied. For somebody who had been trussed up all day, she looked none worse for the wear.

'Tough kid,' Batman thought with admiration. The Dark Knight stepped out on the ledge and discovered that Hartford was now kneeling with his head staring up into the rain, babbling something about his grandmother.

"Please, God," he babbled on, "please accept your humble servant into your divine kingdom…."

Batman was infuriated. After slaughtering God knows how many women all across the country, now this son of a bitch was going to get religion?! The sheer audacity of this bastard was staggering!

Batman grabbed Hartford by the neck and hauled him up with one arm, which caused the man to start choking. But Batman didn't care.

"Don't you dare," Batman snarled. "Don't you _DARE_ beg God for mercy now. Did you ever show any of your previous victims any mercy, you stinking bastard?!"

Yet Hartford, now clearly out of his mind with fear, kept right on praying. He even began to sing a few hymns.

Batman realized that he was now inadvertently holding Hartford over the ledge of the church. There was a thirty story drop right underneath him. It would be so easy to….

...for Batman to just….

'Go ahead,' a dark voice whispered within Batman's head. 'He's slime, anyway. You would do the world a favor by killing him. And all it will take is for you to just release him. Let him fall….'

"Yes," Batman murmured, as he felt his grip on the still-babbling Hartford loosen. "Just drop him…."

**To Be Continued...**


	2. Chapter 2

_Wow, I didn't know this story would be so warmly received! I'd like to thank Andrea, Rebelbyrdie, The Old Man, D.J. Scales and piecesofyourheart for their feedback. Thanks very much to you all, and I hope you enjoy this chapter. _

**Batman & Benson 3**

**Chapter Two**

'Damn it, where did he go?' Olivia wondered, as she looked up and down the street in frustration. To make matters worse, it had started raining pretty heavily, plastering Olivia's dark brown hair to her head. A part of Olivia realized that Alex was probably going to be very angry with her for not wearing a hat in this downpour. But an angry Alex was the least of her problems right now.

"Anybody see where the bastard went?" she asked. 

Sam Spade, whose blonde hair was also drenched, gave a helpless shrug. "We lost him, Liv…."

Commissioner Gordon strode up to Olivia. "You've got better eyes than me, Liv," Gordon said, as he pointed out something over on the next street. "What do you make of that, up on the roof of that old church? Is that a man?"

Olivia let out a gasp when she saw them. Illuminated by the lights of the surrounding construction planking, Batman could clearly be seen as he held a man out over the ledge of the building. A chill ran up her spine, and it wasn't from the rain. Olivia had once found herself being held out over the ledge of a very tall building by the Batman, who had mistaken her at the time for an assassin. She knew full well what it was like to feel the full brunt of the Dark Knight's rage, and she almost felt sorry for Hartford right now. 

Olivia _almost_ felt sorry for him…but not quite. As far as she was concerned, the bastard was getting exactly what he deserved. 

When Olivia told Gordon what she saw, he ordered everybody to get over there, pronto. Olivia got into her car, and was about to close the door when she saw Samantha Spade run by. 

"Sam," Olivia called, "get in!"

Spade smiled as she quickly ran over to Olivia's car and got in. "Thanks," she said, running her hands through her hair to get it out of her face. "Did you see where Hartford is?"

"The old Church on Nash street," Olivia replied, as she pulled her car away from the curb. As she drove, Hartford's new location was being reported over the police radio. "Batman's got him."

Samantha gave her a wide-eyed look. "And here I was wondering whether or not I would get to see him on this trip."

"Hartford's probably really sorry _he_ met him right now," Olivia said with a slight smile. 

"Will there be anything left of Hartford for us to arrest?" Sam nervously asked. 

"Yeah, there will be," Olivia assured her. "Batman may be many things, but he's no killer."

When she pulled up to the abandoned church, Olivia saw that Gordon was already running inside with Harvey Bullock and several uniforms. "They're up on the roof!" she called to them. "The belfry!"

Gordon waved his acknowledgement to her as he led the squad of police through the massive front doors, all of whom had their guns drawn. 

Another unmarked police car arrived just then, and Martin Fitzgerald got out with Renee Montoya. "We heard the report over the radio," Renee said to Olivia. "Is Hartford really here?"

"I saw him with Batman," Olivia said, as she and Sam ran up the steps. 

Renee smiled. "Then he's as good as captured."

"Is this Bat-freak really that good?" Martin asked.

Olivia gave him an annoyed look. "Yeah, he is." 

"I saw him in action when I was here last year," Sam told her partner as they all ran inside. "Believe me, Martin, he's pretty damn impressive."

"Oh, well then," Martin said, still sounding skeptical. "If Batman's really _that_ impressive, then the girl should already be safe and s--" 

Fitzgerald ceased talking once he saw the sight of Simone Weatherly calmly speaking to Commissioner Gordon in the lobby of the church. Harvey Bullock was leading a cadre of fellow police officers up a flight of stairs--all with their guns drawn--to take Hartford into custody.

"Hey," Olivia said to Simone, "I'm Inspector Olivia Benson, with the Special Victims Unit. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," the girl said with a smile. "Thanks to Batman. He told me to wait for you down here when he came back inside with that guy."

"You were saying?" Sam curtly asked Martin, who looked too stunned to reply. 

"Hey Commish!" Harvey called down the flight of stairs. "We got Hartford up here…or what's left of him!"

When Olivia and the others arrived in the belfry, they saw a wild-eyed, babbling Donovan Hartford kneeling in the center of what looked like a temporary torture chamber that he had set up, but never got to use. Although surrounded by police officers, Hartford didn't appear to notice their presence as he continued to babble in an almost sing-song manner about Jesus and divine redemption. 

Gordon nodded at Olivia and said, "Since this is an SVU case, you want to do the honors, Liv?"

"It would be my extreme pleasure," she replied. Glaring at Hartford, Olivia recited the standard arrest mantra to him as Harvey and the other officers frisked Hartford for weapons and then cuffed his hands behind his back. 

"Do you understand your rights as I have relayed them to you?" Olivia asked Hartford.

"Hey, psycho," Harvey prompted Hartford. "You hear what the lady's saying, or what?"

"Yes," Hartford answered, as he stared meaningfully at something. "Yes, I understand all of my rights. Under the law, as well as before God."

Olivia wondered what Hartford stared at, until he saw it was Sam whom he had focused his intense gaze upon. She gazed back at him with an uneasy expression. 

"Hello, Agent Spade," Hartford said calmly. "I wish to confess to you."

"That's nice," Fitzgerald said. "But it's a little late. We've got you cold, now, Hartford. The evidence against you, along with a living witness, is all we need to put you away for life."

"You misunderstand me, Agent Fitzgerald," Hartford said serenely. "I wish to confess to you about _all _of my victims. You and Agent Spade were right about me all along, I _am_ a monster. My encounter with God's divine wrath has made me realize what I truly am. And in order to save my immortal soul, I wish to confess to all of my sins…to all forty two murders." 

There was a moment of silence as everyone stood stunned in the belfry. 

'Forty two?' Olivia thought, staggered. 'This son of a bitch killed forty two women?! Oh, sweet Jesus….' 

"Uh, yeah, ok," Fitzgerald said, also shocked at Hartford's admission. "We can take your confession at the station."

Samantha Spade resolutely shook her head. "No, if he wants to talk, he can talk now. I've got a recorder."

When Spade took out a recorder and held it out to Hartford, Gordon asked if he wanted an attorney. "I do not wish the presence of an attorney," he replied. Turning to the recorder, he said, "My name is Donovan Jason Hartford the Third, and I have killed forty two women. I know each and every one of them by name. Shall I recite them for you?"

"Yes," Gordon said. 

As Hartford recited his lengthy and grisly confession, Olivia busied herself with checking the rest of the belfry--if only to keep her mind off the horrifying thought of what this monster had done. When she saw the smashed out window, Olivia realized that the ledge outside was where she had seen Batman holding Hartford. Upon glancing outside, she was startled to see the Dark Knight was still there, perched on the edge of the ledge like a gargoyle.

Squinting her eyes against the pouring rain, Olivia stepped out as far as she dared on the ledge and said, "Hey…."

"Make sure that nobody touches anything in the torture chamber," Batman said, without even turning around. "At least until a forensics team can dust the place for prints. Hartford wasn't wearing gloves."

"Yeah, will do," Olivia replied. "Listen, he's confessing everything, and I mean everything. So, um, great job! I don't know what you did--"

"Believe me, Liv, you don't want to know," Batman said starkly. He held his left wrist up to his face and whispered: "Come here."

Olivia knew him well enough by now to know that there was something seriously wrong. As the Batwing slowly rose to the level of the ledge in the pouring rain, answering its owner's call, Olivia asked, "Are you ok?"

Batman hesitated for a moment. He still would not look at her. "Come by later. It doesn't matter how late, or what I may be doing. Bring Alex and spend the night, if you wish."

He then expertly jumped onto the wing of his black aircraft and got into the cockpit with ease. As she watched him fly off, Olivia realized--just from the tone of his voice--that he had been deeply disturbed by something. 

'Just what the hell happened on this ledge, anyway?!' Olivia wondered, as she went back inside. 

**B&B**

"This is an outrage," Fred Saracen said, as soon as he stepped through the doors of the SVU bullpen. "My client is being railroaded, here!"

'Here we go,' Rachel Dawes thought, as she wearily shook her head. She had to admit, Saracen's timing was impeccable; it was barely an hour after they had brought Hartford in for booking when his attorney had already come barging in here with all guns blazing. 

"I'll field this," Alex muttered. 

"It's your case," Rachel said. "Have fun."

Alex just shot her a wry look before she went over to engage in another verbal sparring match with Saracen. Olivia came over and said, "We've got Hartford resting comfortably in a private cell--and I've placed him on suicide watch, just in case."

Rachel nodded. "Good move. Is he still babbling about God?"

"Never stopped." Olivia gave Rachel an uneasy glance. "It's a little creepy. I mean, at first I couldn't be sure if he was on the level. But Hartford's really sounding like he's had a religious experience during his run-in with the Batman." 

"That's not the first time a lowlife got religion after meeting Batman," Rachel told her. 

"Yeah, but you didn't see Batman's reaction to it," Olivia said, frowning. 

Their conversation was interrupted when Saracen loudly yelled: "That will never hold up in court!" 

"Well, let's _go_ to court and find out, shall we?" Alex countered, as she flashed him a predatory smile. "I'm sure a judge would just _love_ to make a ruling on that silly point, Fred."

Rachel was satisfied to see Saracen's own smile had evaporated once Alex called his bluff. "You said before that he invited you guys over later?" she asked Olivia, turning back to their conversation. 

"Yeah. Maybe he wants to talk about what happened up there?" Olivia said with a shrug. 

"That makes sense."

"Do you mind?" Olivia asked, looking troubled. "I don't want to step on your toes, here, Rachel."

Rachel smiled at her. "You're the closest thing to a sister that Bruce has, Liv. If he feels he can talk to you about certain things, I have no problem with that at all. Besides, we always love having you guys over, anyway."

A man strode into the SVU bullpen just then. He was tall, with thinning gray hair--yet his eyes were fiercely alert. Immaculately dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, he spotted Rachel and focused in on her with the intensity of a shark locating fresh prey. 

"Donald?" Saracen said with surprise, turning towards the old man. "You didn't have to come down here."

"Damn," Rachel muttered under her breath. 

"Who is he?" Olivia asked.

"Donald Hartford, Donovan's daddy," Rachel told her. The fact that this reclusive billionaire was even standing here was disconcerting to Rachel. He rarely ventured anywhere, choosing to exert his vast power from the protective walls of his mansion. 

Saracen made the introductions with Hartford and Alex. Yet before the ADA could even say a word, Hartford held up his hand and said, "I wish only to speak with your boss, the district attorney."

"Here we go," Rachel muttered to Olivia, as they both went over and joined the group. "Mr. Hartford, I'm Rachel Dawes, Gotham City District Attorney. Did you just request to see me?"

He merely glared at her with disgust. "In private, if you'd please. And I do not wish to speak in a room with double sided mirrors."

"Perhaps my office would suffice?" Olivia suggested. 

"Donald," Saracen began, "may I ask what are you--?"

"Have you checked on Donny?" the elder Hartford asked him, pointedly ignoring his question. 

"Yes, they have him in a private cell, under a suicide watch."

"See to it that he speaks to nobody but you from this point on," Hartford instructed him. He glanced at Rachel and gestured at Olivia's office. "Ms. Dawes, shall we?"

"Want me to come with you?" Olivia asked.

Before Rachel could even reply, Hartford turned to Olivia and snapped, "I wish to speak to Ms. Dawes in private, Inspector Benson. What part of that statement is not clear to you?"

Although she didn't reply--Olivia was too smart for that--she shot Hartford a glare that was lethal in its intensity. 

"That's all right, Liv," Rachel said. "We won't be but a minute."

She allowed Hartford to enter Olivia's office first, then Rachel closed the door behind them. 

Hartford wasted no time. He turned to face Rachel and said, "What will it take?"

Rachel stared at him. "Excuse me?"

Hartford stared impatiently at the ceiling, with an annoyed expression, as if he were dealing with a low-grade moron. "What will it take?"

"Could you please be more specific?" Rachel asked. She had an idea of what he meant, but she still wanted him to spell it out for her--if he would even dare.

"What would it take to make this go away?" Hartford said, slowly pronouncing each word as if Rachel was a complete idiot. "I'd like to take my son home with me tonight, before the press gets wind of his arrest."

Rachel was momentarily so stunned, she couldn't even speak. When she finally found her voice, she said, "Do you realize what you're asking me, Mr. Hartford?"

"Oh, let's drop the pretenses, shall we?" Hartford said with a wave of his hand. "Your predecessor, Mr. Dent, was always an agreeable man. I was hoping you'd be the same way. Now, I understand that this little Weatherly whore plans to testify against my son. But I have an army of lawyers and private detectives on my permanent payroll, Ms. Dawes. I will reveal Simone Weatherly for the lying little slut that she truly is before she even takes the witness stand. So let's please avoid all of this unnecessary unpleasantness and just make this all go away right now. Now, once again, what will it take? What's your price?"

"I'm going to do you a very big favor," Rachel said evenly. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear you say what you've just told me, Mr. Hartford. Because you've just found out that your son is a mass murderer, and you're obviously in a very distraught state of mind right now."

"Spare me! You called up your pet bat and sent him after my son. I don't have proof that you did this, but I just know you did," Hartford said, pointing a finger at her. "And by whistling up that winged abomination to do your dirty work for you, you've proven that you're willing to work outside of the system. Ergo, you're also willing to work out a deal, provided I make a donation to your favorite charity, right? After all, Ms. Dawes, I assume you wouldn't want me to make the check out directly to you?"

Rachel just shook her head in disbelief. "Mr. Hartford, this isn't some scam operation that we've set up to wrangle money from you. Your son is a monster! Not only do we have Simone Weatherly to testify to that, but we also have physical evidence that's mounting by the minute; not to mention a confession--both oral and now written--that's been given by your son, who freely admits to killing forty two women, in addition to abducting Simone!"

Hartford merely gazed at Rachel with a smug look on his face. "Once again, Ms. Dawes, I ask the question: what will it take to make this go away?"

'Oh, sweet Jesus, he knew all along!' Rachel thought, as she gasped at him in horror. 'He knew all along what his son was--what he was doing--and he didn't even care!' 

"Mr. Hartford, this conversation is over," Rachel firmly stated. "Your son will be formally arraigned in court tomorrow."

"You have just declared war on me," Hartford told her. "And believe me, little girl, you don't want to have me as an enemy…." 

Enraged, Rachel stormed over to the door, opened it, and said, "What part of 'this conversation is over' is not clear to you, Mr. Hartford?" 

Hartford casually walked past her, as if he were merely going out for an evening stroll. 

Before he joined Hartford in walking out the door, Saracen paused and said, "I'd beg all of you to consider that Mr. Hartford is presently under a great deal of stress right now, and that anything he might say should be--"

"Fred," Alex called to him with disgust, "put a sock in it!"

Saracen abruptly turned and ran after Hartford like the lapdog that he was. Rachel wearily rubbed her temples as she took a seat by the window. When Alex entered the room, Rachel suddenly realized that she had taken over Olivia's private office. "Tell Liv I'll get out of her way…."

Alex waved at Rachel to stay where she was. "Liv's busy speaking with Jim, anyway. Feel free to take as much time as you need. You ok?" 

Rachel shook her head. "You know, Alex, I should be used to dealing with slime by now. But I'm still surprised at the depths of the goop I find myself wading in."

"What happened between you and Hartford?" Alex asked. "He didn't threaten you, did he?"

"Oh, not in so many words, he's too damn smart for that," Rachel said. "But he made it clear, once _I _made it clear that I wasn't going to cut him any favors, that we are now enemies."

"The Gotham City District Attorney's Office has made another enemy," Alex said blandly. "So what else is new? Hartford can get in line with the rest of them."

"Hartford knew his son was a murdering monster," Rachel told her, "and he didn't care! He simply wanted to sweep it all under the carpet before the press got wind of the arrest."

"Dear God," Alex muttered, stunned. "Well, now we can tell where little Donny got his psychosis…."

"I can't help but wonder if he's not the only one around here," Rachel said dejectedly. 

"What do you mean?" 

"For many years, Gotham City was known as being nothing more than a cesspool, Alex. And tonight, I've seen first hand why: it's thanks to such 'prominent Gotham City families' like the Hartfords. As long as we have people who think they're above the law, we'll never really have any law and order in this city."

"There are a lot of good people who are fighting to change that," Alex reminded her. "And I don't just mean the Batman--who's certainly done his share in turning things around--but also the many people who've been inspired by him. We're all just steadily chipping away at the corruption, day by day. Nobody said it would be quick, or easy, but we can't give up."

Rachel nodded with a look of firm resolution. "You're right, Alex. We can't give up."

Alex watched as Rachel got up from the chair, went over to Olivia's desk, and picked up the phone. "What are you doing?"

"Since Hartford was kind enough to inform me that we're at war, I'm firing the first salvo," Rachel said, as she dialed the phone. "I'm calling some contacts of mine at the Gotham Gazette and letting them know of Donovan Hartford's arrest."

Alex smiled. "That's the spirit."

"Oh, and I hoped you packed a bag for tonight, Alex."

Alex frowned at her. "Why? What's happening tonight?"

"You've been invited by Bruce to spend the night at the mansion," Rachel said, giving her a look of surprise. "Didn't Olivia tell you?"

"No, she didn't," Alex replied, as her eyes narrowed into annoyed slits behind her glasses. 

"She probably forgot," Rachel assured her. 

"Oh, yes, I'm sure she did," Alex said. "Thanks for telling me, Rachel. And now, excuse me while I go yell at Liv…."

Rachel burst into a broad smile as she watched Alex calmly walk out the office with a singular purpose. 

**B&B**

'How does he do it?' Barbra wondered, as she lay on her bed. 

She had just returned home--actually, snuck back into the house was probably a better term--and was so exhausted that she was only able to remove part of her Batgirl costume before she collapsed on the bed. And to think she still had homework to do, as well!

Having removed her cape and cowl, as well as her boots and gloves, Barbra was now clad only in the black bodysuit with the yellow bat emblem on the chest. 

'Batman makes fighting crime look so easy!' Barbra wearily thought. 'But it takes a lot out of me, and I didn't even get anything done! If it weren't for Catwoman, God only knows where I'd be right now. Oh, God, how embarrassing!'

Barbra sat up on the bed and gently caressed one of her teddy bears in her arms. "The gymnastics just isn't enough, Mr. Googly," she whispered to the bear. "I need to take self-defense lessons…karate, judo, whatever. Because I can't very well depend on a super villain for help next time!"

The door to her room abruptly swung open, and Barbra was startled to see her mother enter with a basket filled with freshly done laundry. "You can put these away," she told her daughter, as she placed the basket on the floor before her. 

Barbra let out an anxious gulp as her mother stopped short and stared at the black bodysuit she wore--her mother's eyes were focused on the bright yellow bat emblem on her chest. Barbra's mind frantically searched for an easy explanation, yet it only drew a blank.

"Nice Bat-pajamas, Babs," her mother said with a smile. "Did your grandmother give you those last Christmas?" 

"Uh…yeah," Barbra said, her eyes as round as saucers.

"Don't stay up too late, sweetheart, tonight's a school night," her mother told her, just before she left the bedroom. 

Letting out a heavy sigh of relief, Barbra collapsed back onto the bed. "Being a superhero isn't as easy as I thought," she muttered, staring at the ceiling. She held Mr. Googly up before her face and asked, "How _does _Batman do it, anyway?"

But if the teddy bear knew the answer, he wasn't talking. 

**B&B**

When he opened the door, Alfred greeted her with a warm smile. "Good evening, Olivia, welcome."

Alfred's smiles were always infectous, and in spite of how tired she felt, Olivia couldn't help but smile back. "Thanks, Alfred. How are you doing this evening?"

Alfred nodded as he held the door open for her. "Very good, Liv. Thank you for asking. Isn't Alex with you?"

"She's got an early today tomorrow," Olivia explained, as she removed her coat. "She'll be arraigning Donovan Hartford in court first thing in the morning. She decided it would be best if she stayed at our place in the city." 

"I see," Alfred said. "Perhaps some other time, then."

"Yeah. How's Richard doing?" Olivia asked. 

"Finally sleeping," Alfred replied, sounding relieved. "He was up all night last night. But now he's getting some much-needed rest."

Olivia nodded as she hung up her jacket in the hallway closet. "Good. That's very good to hear."

"And, he no longer wishes to be called Richard," Alfred added. "It's now Dick. It's what his younger brother, Timothy, used to call him."

"Oh," Olivia said, her voice tinged with sadness. The image of Timothy Grayson's shattered body lying on the ground of the circus tent arose within Olivia's memory, and she nearly burst into tears. She never felt more helpless that night--during what was supposed to have been a fun charity event for the victims of the Gotham City SVU and their families--only to have it turn into more tragedy that had been witnessed by all of them. 

Olivia admired Bruce for taking in Dick Grayson. She understood all too well why he did it--Dick's plight had reminded Bruce of his own loss in the distant past, when Bruce lost his own parents at such a tender age.

'Dick's got a new family, now,' Olivia thought. 'Bruce, Rachel, Alfred, Alex and me. I just hope he realizes that.'

"I've brewed some tea," Alfred told her, as they both walked towards the kitchen. "Would you like some before or after you see Master Bruce?"

That made Olivia give him a double take. "Bruce is back already? It's still early for him, isn't it?"

"The rain usually cuts his nights short," Alfred explained. "It puts a damper on things."

"Yeah, tell me about it," Olivia jokingly said, gesturing to her still-damp clothes. "I was out in it earlier, chasing down a scumbag."

"You might want to change out of those wet things," Alfred told her. "Although we've installed heating, the Batcave can still be quite chilly."

"I will," Olivia promised him. She always loved how Alfred doted on her. "How is Bruce doing?"

"He's greatly bothered by something that occurred tonight--yet he won't tell me what it is."

"Yeah, I think I know what it is," Olivia solemnly said. "He took down a really nasty bastard tonight, Alfred. A serial killer of women. Something happened on the roof, when he confronted the guy. I still don't know _what_ happened, though. I'll talk to him. Let me get changed, first."

Alfred nodded at her with a smile. "I'll keep the tea warm for you, Liv."

Olivia went up to the bedroom that she always used whenever she and Alex stayed over at Wayne Manor. It was a large, master bedroom suite, with its own bathroom. As she gratefully peeled off her damp clothing, it occurred to Olivia that she and Alex had stayed over here so often that this place almost seemed more like home to her than her actual home. 

Putting on a pair of comfortable, faded jeans and a navy blue t-shirt, Olivia padded out of the bedroom suite. Yet before she could descend the steps, Olivia paused to glance behind her. She had the odd sensation of being watched. But there was nothing behind her, the hallway was completely empty. 

Giving a shrug, Olivia went downstairs. Once on the main floor, Olivia entered the spacious sitting room, and strode towards the secret panel in the wall that led directly to the Batcave. However, just before she reached over to pull back the head on the William Shakespeare bust, Olivia hesitated once more. She couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that she was presently being followed. 

Taking advantage of the fact that she was barefoot, Olivia quickly and silently skipped over to the doorway, where she hid right behind the opened door. A part of her felt very silly doing this; yet Olivia just wanted to quell her suspicions before she revealed the secret passageway that led to the Batcave.

Sure enough, Dick Grayson entered the room, wearing pajamas and a robe. He glanced around, looking confused, as Olivia snuck out from behind the door. Once again taking advantage of the fact that she wore no shoes, Olivia was able to creep right up behind the young man--until she leaned over and cheerfully whispered right into his ear: "Hey there…."

Dick was so startled that it almost looked as if he had nearly jumped out of his skin. Olivia was surprised to see that, when Dick initially turned to face her, he had instinctively assumed a combat stance. Once he saw it was only her, Dick instantly relaxed. "Hey, Liv…."

"Hello, Dick," she said with a sly smile. "Say, um, are you following me?"

"What?! Oh, no! Not at all," he said, with such a false performance of sincerity that it took everything Olivia had to keep from bursting out laughing at him. 

"Master Grayson!" Alfred said, as he appeared in the doorway. "What a pleasant surprise. I thought you were asleep."

"Yeah, uh, I couldn't sleep, Alfred," he said, looking slightly uneasy. 

"Did you make your important phone call, Liv?" Alfred asked her. 

Olivia realized that his question was code for 'did she manage to open the secret panel?' She shook her head. "Not yet, Alfred."

Alfred turned to Dick and said, "I was just brewing some tea, and it occurred to me that it would be rather nice if we had some real baked cookies with it. Why don't you come help me make them while Olivia makes her important call?"

Dick had a repulsed expression on his face, as if baking cookies was the very last thing on earth he wanted to do--but he quickly hid his disgust with a forced smile. "Uh, sure thing, Alfred…." 

"I'll join you guys, shortly," Olivia called after them, as she shut the door. She stood there for a moment, reflecting on what just happened. 

'He's basically just a kid, probably just up to some harmless tomfoolery,' Olivia thought, as she padded over to the William Shakespeare bust and pulled back the head. 'But still, Bruce should know about this, especially since Dick came very close to discovering the entrance to the Batcave.'

Once she pressed the red button, the secret panel within the wall slid open, revealing the passageway that led to the Batcave. Olivia strode down the narrow passageway, until she came out on an outcropping dug deep within a stone wall. It was fenced off, with an elevator in the center. Olivia punched her own special code--which was Alex's birthday--into the keypad, and the elevator door opened. 

As she rode down to the main level of the Batcave, Olivia smiled as she recalled the first time she was here. She didn't know Batman very well at first, and felt threatened when he left her all alone in the Batcave--so much so that Olivia, a dedicated rock climber, had climbed her way out by scaling the wall. 

'God, that seems ages ago, now,' Olivia thought, bemused. Olivia had inadvertently stumbled onto Batman's secret identity that night when she found herself inside Wayne Manor. 

When the elevator came to a halt, the doors opened for Olivia, revealing the main level of the Batcave. She had been down here countless times since that awkward first meeting, and this place had never lost its majesty for her. 

The empty Batsuit stood on display by itself in the center of a platform, lit by halogen lights from above. A full forensic science lab was set up on an adjoining platform--while a third platform, which sat lower than the other two, held the Batmobile on a special rotating dais that always kept the car pointed towards the exit. The giant penny, along with a life-sized mock up of a Tyrannosaurs Rex, stood against one craggy wall of the cave.

As Olivia strode into the midst of the Batcave, she saw Bruce was using the grinder at the workstation at the far end of the platform. He appeared to be sharpening the blades on his Batdarts. He glanced over at her and cheerily said, "Hey sis!"

Olivia smiled as she walked over to him. "You look like you're feeling better."

Bruce gave her a frown. "When was I sick?"

"I don't mean it that way," Olivia replied, as she took a seat on a stool next to him. "You looked a little distracted before, when I spoke to you on the church roof. I got the impression that something was up, especially how you made a point of making sure that I'd be here to talk to you. Even Alfred mentioned that you appeared to be a little bothered earlier."

"Yeah," he said with a heavy sigh. "My meeting with Hartford got a little more intense than I originally planned. But you'd be surprised just how therapeutic spending a few hours at the work bench can be."

"The police department shrinks are always encouraging us to get a hobby," Olivia told him. She thoughtfully glanced down at her feet, which swung back and forth lazily in front of her. "Um, look, Bruce, if you'd really rather not talk about it, that's--"

"I nearly killed him, Liv," Bruce said quietly. "Before I realized it, I was holding him over the ledge of the building, and I damn near dropped him. And I don't mean by accident, either. As I held him over the ledge, I had actually thought about deliberately dropping Hartford."

"Given who he is, what he's done, that's understandable," Olivia softly said. 

"Not for me," Bruce said darkly. "When I started this, I had sworn to never take a life, Liv. And just the fact that I was even _thinking_ about killing him makes me wonder if I should just pack it in."

"You've always been a perfectionist," Olivia told him. "And I mean that in the best way possible, Bruce. That's what makes Batman--the whole Dark Knight thing--work so well. You're always on your game. But, being a perfectionist, I can't help but wonder if you're sometimes too hard on yourself, as well…like you are now."

"You had no idea just how close I came to killing that bastard, Liv!"

"But you didn't, though, right? If you _had_ killed him in cold blood--then yeah, that would have been good reason to pack it in. All cops--including me--have had feelings like that from time to time, especially when they run into a real scumbag like Hartford."

Bruce shook his head. "No offense, Liv, but I'm not a cop. It's not the same thing with me."

"Yes, it is, to a degree. Look, my point is that you've been fighting crime all by yourself, without the benefit of a partner to share war stories with you. I may not be in the same league as you, but--take my word for it, Bruce, the emotions that you're feeling are normal. As long as you just _feel_ it, and not give vent to it by actually killing somebody. You know, to be honest, I'm very impressed that you held it together so well this long. Considering some of the psychos you've already dealt with, like the Joker, Hartford feels like a second stringer."

"Sometimes, when evil is at its most banal, it's more horrifying," Bruce said somberly. "The Joker was truly in a league of his own, but never underestimate the monsters with a normal face--like Hartford."

"Good point," Olivia replied with a nod. 

"And you're wrong about one thing: you _are_ in the same league as me," Bruce told her. "Thanks for the pep talk, sis."

Olivia, suddenly feeling embarrassed at his compliment, quickly changed the subject by pointing at a gizmo on the workbench. "What's that?" 

"It's something new I've developed," Bruce replied, as he picked up the small device. "Instead of shooting a cable, this gun shoots a net that wraps itself around a person."

Olivia frowned. "How does that work?" 

Bruce just gave her a broad smile. "Wanna try it on yourself?"

Giving him a horrified look, Olivia shook her head as she warily got off the stool. "Oh, no…Bruce, no way…."

Bruce was now grinning as he held up the device. "It won't hurt, Liv. I promise! I had Alfred try it out on me, once."

"If you did that, then you know it works," Olivia told him. "You don't need to try the damn thing out on me!"

"But I want to," Bruce said, still grinning. "C'mon, Liv. Catwoman's back in town, and I'd like to see how well this works on a female."

"Absolutely not, Bruce," Olivia said firmly. "I mean it! The answer is no!"

**B&B**

When Alfred emerged from the elevator, he held a tray that contained two cups of tea and a plate filled with freshly baked cookies. It had been over an hour since Olivia went down to the Batcave, and Alfred took the lack of communication from both her and Master Bruce as to be a good sign. 

'Any time that Master Bruce spent with Liv was always time well spent,' Alfred thought. Olivia had a wonderful way of being able to reach Master Bruce, even when Alfred couldn't. Master Bruce had often jokingly referred to Olivia as being his sister--yet in some ways, they were truly as close as siblings. 

Alfred took a deep breath as he strode into the Batcave and was about to announce the treats he had brought--until he stopped short at the sight that was displayed before him.

A red-faced Olivia stood wiggling with a sheepish smile. Her torso was tightly covered in some sort of netting which pinned her arms up to her chest. She gave Alfred a little wave with one of her bound hands. "Hey, Alfred…help!"

Master Bruce, who was grinning broadly, held up the newly created net gun he had invented and said, "Now we know it even works on women, Alfred!"

Alfred could not help but burst into a broad smile at this scene. "Is this any way to treat our guest, Master Bruce?"

"Yeah," Olivia muttered in agreement, as she wagged a finger at Bruce. The sight of Olivia wagging her finger, with her bound hand so close to her chest, was outright comical. Realizing how silly she looked, Olivia abruptly shook her head. "Would somebody get me out of this thing, _please_?!"

"Here, here," Bruce said, as he came over with a knife. Once he sliced the netting loose from Olivia, Bruce pulled her close for an affectionate one-armed hug. "Thanks for being so patient, Liv."

"The things I do to help further the cause of fighting crime," Olivia muttered. Her mood brightened once she saw what was on the tray that Alfred had placed on the table. "Oooo, cookies!"

"Baked by none other than Master Grayson himself," Alfred told her. "He has returned to bed, after making himself something of a nuisance earlier."

"What do you mean?" Bruce asked. 

"On my way down here to meet with you," Olivia said, in-between bites of a chocolate cookie, "I caught him following me. He almost caught _me_ opening the secret passageway to the Batcave."

"Really?" Bruce said, looking thoughtful. 

"Just a boyish prank, Master Bruce," Alfred assured him. "Which is very good news, since it's a sign that Master Grayson is starting to emerge from his grief."

"You're right, Alfred. But the last thing we need is for him to stumble onto the Batcave," Bruce said. He glanced sharply at Olivia and added, "God knows we don't need somebody _else_ learning all our secrets…." 

"Well, excuse me for living!" Olivia said through a mouthful of cookies. 

Alfred was about to take his leave until he realized he had forgotten something. "Ah, yes, one more thing, Master Bruce. I heard on the news just now that Harvey Dent is back home."

Both Bruce and Olivia looked surprised to hear that. "Harvey's back?" Bruce said. "Did they say when he returned, Alfred?"

Alfred shrugged. "The news wasn't too clear on that point. They only said that he's been back in Gotham City for the past few days."

"Wasn't he holed up at some psychiatric place for the last few months?" Olivia asked. 

"It was a retreat in the woods," Bruce replied, looking concerned. "Because of Harvey's agitated mental state after the attack, his psychiatrist had recommended it. I find it strange that he's been back for several days, and yet he hasn't contacted any of us yet."

"I understand that Mr. Dent had his plastic surgery postponed in order to go to this retreat," Alfred said. "Perhaps he's waiting until the surgery is done before he feels ready to contact his friends again."

"Yeah, but he could have still given us a phone call, at least," Bruce replied. "I'll call him tomorrow, see how he's doing."

"Hope he hasn't heard that Boss Thorne's back," Olivia said. "That might be enough to set poor Harvey off again."

**B&B**

"If that'll be all, Boss Thorne," Candace said, "I'll call it a night."

"I've got a meeting with somebody, but you go ahead, Candy," Thorne told her. "I won't be needing you for the rest of the evening."

Candace glanced at her watch. "You meeting somebody this late, Boss? He must be real important."

"He's just shy about anybody knowing about our relationship," Thorne said with a smile. "Which can pretty much be said for everybody who I deal with these days. Have a good night, Candy."

She nodded. "You too, sir."

Thorne sat back and lit another cigar as he waited in his office for his visitor to arrive. When he called Thorne on the phone, he sounded frantic--which was how Thorne liked to deal with his clients. Whenever they were desparate, that usually meant they would do anything to get their little problem fixed…which entailed a copious amount of money being thrown at Thorne. 

After a few minutes of quiet reflection while enjoying his cigar, the intercom on Thorne's desk beeped. It was Spyder, his bodyguard, who was calling to let Thorne know that his client had arrived and was on his way to the office. 

The door opened, and his client entered, looking more haggard than Thorne last remembered seeing him. "Good evening, my friend," Thorne said. "Or should I say, good morning?"

Yet Donald Hartford didn't appear to be in the mood for even jovial small talk. He glared at Thorne and said, "I've got a big problem…."

"So I've heard," Thorne said, his tone growing somber. "I'm very sorry to hear about your boy."

Hartford looked stunned. "How did you find out about Donny?!"

"It was on the late news," Thorne said. "Your boy's been arrested for kidnapping that girl who disappeared earlier today. They say he's confessed to several more abductions…and murders."

"Damn that Dawes bitch!" Hartford said, enraged. "She wasted no time in calling the press over this, did she?!"

"Ah, yes, the ever-delightful Rachel Dawes," Thorne muttered with a weary sigh. "I see you've also bumped heads with our eager-beaver District Attorney, as well. I take it she's the problem that you've come to see me about?"

Hartford nodded. "Yes, she is. I want you to take care of her."

Thorne sat forward in his seat behind the desk and removed the cigar from his mouth. "You mind being a little more specific, there? What do you mean, exactly?"

Donald Hartford pressed his hands on the top of Thorne's desk as he leaned forward. "I mean, I want you to get rid of Rachel Dawes, Thorne. I want that Dawes bitch dead by this time tomorrow night, understand?"

**To Be Continued...**


	3. Chapter 3

_My thanks to Andrea, piecesofyourheart, The Old Man, futureforensic, Rebelbyrdie, and J.D. Scales for their words of support and encouragement._

_Sorry there was a delay this time; real life reared it's ugly head. But we're back! Hope you enjoy the new chapter. _

**Batman & Benson 3**

**Chapter Three**

Ritchie Marlins perked up when he heard the details of the conversation from the bug placed in Boss Thorne's office. Shutting off the tape, he picked up his cell phone and dialed the number that had been given to him.

"What is it?" Bernie curtly asked. He'd answered on the first ring.

"I've got a conversation, recorded between Thorne and Donald Hartford, that Mr. Janus would be interested in hearing," Ritchie said. "They talk about having Rachel Dawes killed."

There was a moment of thoughtful silence on the line. Then Bernie said, "Bring it over right now."

**B&B**

"Again. Sorry about that, Liv," Dick said. "I still feel pretty stupid about the whole thing."

Olivia flashed him a grin. "Don't worry about it. Wayne Manor is a pretty big place. It's easy to get lost here."

It was morning, and after enjoying a hearty breakfast that was whipped up by Alfred, Dick walked Olivia to her car. He had explained his bizarre behavior last night to Olivia by sheepishly admitting that he had gotten lost, and had followed her around as a means of escaping from the maze of corridors that he got lost in.

As Olivia opened her car door, she paused and asked, "One thing: if you were simply lost, why didn't you just say so in the first place?"

Dick gave her a helpless shrug. "What can I say, Liv? I was embarrassed…."

Olivia shook her head in sympathy. "Oh. Well, no harm done. Like I said before, this is a sprawling place. Bruce should get a St. Bernard to help lead you back to your room…or at least lead you back to the kitchen, so you won't starve!"

"Yeah, I'll talk to him about it," Dick replied with a smile. "Have a good one, Liv."

"You too, Dick. And hey, keep your nose clean, huh?"

Dick laughed at Olivia's sly reference to a conversation they had earlier during breakfast about corny cop phrases, with 'keep your nose clean' being one of them.

As she pulled out of the spacious driveway, Dick gave Olivia one last wave. He was grateful that she appeared to have bought his made-up story about getting lost, which would hopefully deflect any suspicions about the real reason Dick followed Olivia.

Dick was curious to see if she was headed for Bruce's private den--that ultra secret, off limits area of the mansion that Bruce retired to for hours at a time. Alfred had originally told him about it, when Dick had asked where did Bruce disappear to day after day; the manservant said it was a private sanctuary for Bruce, just about the only place on earth where he could completely relax and forget his troubles.

Yet Dick got the uneasy feeling that Alfred was only telling him half of the truth. Bruce Wayne was a decent, upright guy--but he was essentially a fun-loving playboy who left the running of the day to day operations of his billion-dollar business to Lucius Fox. What stress could he be possibly suffering from that required being holed up for several hours out of the day in a room?

And why did the location of this special sanctuary have to be so damn secret? Dick would understand if Bruce didn't want anybody in this sanctuary; he could respect Bruce's right to privacy without being kept in the dark as to the room's location.

'Oh, maybe I should just give it a rest,' Dick thought, as he walked back inside the mansion. 'Bruce, Rachel and Alfred have all gone out of their way to make room for me in their lives, and here I am, paying them back for their troubles by acting like a suspicious little brat.'

Reluctantly, Dick forced himself to walk down the main corridor to the back of the mansion, where the storage rooms were located. He stood at the doorway of one of the rooms and peered in at the collection of boxes with a mixture of fear and revulsion.

The boxes were all of his deceased family's belongings. The lives and legacies of three people had been collected in this storage room in Wayne Manor. They were the last of his family's belongings to be sent to him from the circus--shortly before the owner, Harold Grantee, was shot to death by yet another unknown assassin.

Dick shook his head in disgust. It appeared Gotham City was filled with shadowy killers who managed to lash out at the innocent without leaving so much of a clue as to who they really were. Dick knew all about the updates concerning the investigation into his family's murder from the local newscast, which kept reporting the story with an almost gleeful fascination.

Dick now knew for a fact that his family had been murdered--Grantee's rub out all but proved it for him. And with Grantee's death, the case of his family murders was presently at a dead end. The rage that had slowly built up within Dick almost felt as if it threaten to blow his head off if he didn't do something, and soon. As much as he was grateful for Bruce's help, Dick was getting tired of letting others fight his battles for him. He wanted nothing more than to take matters into his own hands.

As much as Dick hated the idea of going through his dead family's personal belongings, he needed something to do, something to distract him from the ever-growing fury that felt ready to consume him at any moment. Besides, there was something bothering him about this shipment of boxes; namely the fact that there was an extra box that he had never seen before, a large one that had been sealed with a note written in his mother's handwriting.

It simply said, "Eco-costumes."

Dick couldn't help but smile wistfully. Dick's mother always had a thing about doing what she could to help preserve the environment. She grew up on a farm, and was always acutely aware of how much humans replied on the earth, and how it must be maintained in good health. She kept talking about how she wanted to create new costumes for the Flying Graysons that reflected their environmental views by using a bird motif, yet Dick never knew she had actually started work on them.

'She probably meant to surprise us with the outfits--never realizing that Dad and Timothy would never live to see them,' he thought miserably.

He slowly peeled off the handwritten note and neatly placed it in a folder. He didn't want to tear it, because it was his mother's handwriting--it was a small piece of her that survived, and he wanted to keep as much of her alive as possible.

The box opened vertically, looking like a compact closet, and the first costume he saw was what would have been his father's. It was a stylized version of a hawk, complete with a mask, a cape and a little 'H' logo on the left side breast. Moving it aside on the rack, Dick saw his mother's costume, which was a stylized version of a falcon. It was also complete with a cape and mask, and had the 'F' logo on the left breast.

Letting out a slight sob, Dick came to what would have been Timothy's costume, another fanciful aviary design--this time his mother chose the blue jay for her youngest son, who would never even see it, much less wear it. Moving Timothy's would-be costume to the side, Dick finally saw the design that his deceased mother had chosen for him.

The body was red in color, with green arms and legs, as well as a green cape that had a yellow underside. The boots and gloves were also green in color, as was the mask. There was an 'R' logo on the left breast of this suit, and Dick suddenly realized what aviary design his mother had chosen for him.

Dick Grayson was to be Robin.

With the sadness of his family's deaths welling up within him, he shut the box and started walking away. The costumes were soon forgotten as Dick thought long and hard about what he would do, now that his family's murder case seemingly reached a dead end. He knew he wanted nothing more than to go out on his own and look for his own answers--that was a given. It was a now matter of when he would start. But that was easier said than done. Dick realized that his quest for vengeance might lead him down some very dark roads, and he wasn't sure he wanted to drag Bruce's good name into this.

He'd thought about leaving Wayne Manor--yet was reluctant to do so. Bruce, Alfred and Rachel, as well as Olivia and Alex, had all been so good to him that Dick didn't want to pay them back by just abruptly leaving. But if he truly was going to strike out on his own to search for answers, Dick knew he would have to move now, before the trail got too cold.

That was when it hit him. He needed some sort of a secret identity. Dick needed to take on another persona in order to protect himself, as well as his new-found friends, from any blowback caused by his own private quest for justice.

And that was when the second idea struck him.

Dick ran back to the box filled with the new costumes, and took a good, hard look at the Robin costume that she made for him.

'Yeah, it's perfect,' he thought, nodding. Dick recalled somebody saying that, once the sun went down, Gotham City became a town of masks--and here was Dick's own ticket to Gotham City's nocturnal masquerade. In his own private quest for the truth, Dick Grayson would become Robin.

After all, what better way for Dick to keep his mother's memory alive than by wearing the very same costume she had made for him while he hunted down her killer?

**B&B**

"Rise and shine!" Holly Robinson called as she entered the darkened bedroom. "C'mon, Selina! It's almost ten o'clock."

The figure in the bed let out a weary groan as it shifted under the sheets. "Go away…."

Holly placed the breakfast tray on the bed. She picked up the folded newspaper and gently tossed it at the still-slumbering Selina Kyle.

Selina let out an annoyed snort when the paper hit her in the side. "What the _hell _is your problem?"

"You made the paper again. Catwoman was spotted coming out of the warehouse last night," Holly told her.

Selina sat up and wearily shook her head. "You couldn't just tell me this? You had to throw the paper at me?"

Holly shrugged. "How else was I going to get you out of bed?"

"Holly, darling, you _do_ know I work nights, right?" Selina said, as she picked up the paper and leafed through it. "That means I get to sleep in during the better part of the day."

"Yes, I'm fully aware of that, Selina _darling_," Holly sarcastically replied. "But you also have your day-job cover to keep up. And, speaking of which, you've got a meeting later today. By the way," she added, gesturing at the paper, "is it true?"

Selina frowned at her. "Is what true?"

"The papers say that you encountered the mysterious Batwoman last night," Holly said. "She was also sighted leaving the warehouse, taking a different route apart from you."

Selina let out a laugh as she got up from the bed and slipped a kimono over her nude body. "Batwoman? She was more like Bat-baby! She was just a kid, Holly."

"Really?" Holly asked, fascinated.

"Couldn't have been anymore than fourteen, fifteen at most, and very, very green," Selina told her. "The kid had more chutzpa than brains. I hope she wises up and dumps this silly Bat-gig before Gotham City eats her alive. Speaking of eating…." She made a face at the grapefruit that Holly had placed on her breakfast tray. "What kind of a breakfast is this?"

"A healthy one," Holly dryly muttered.

"You should know by now that I always crave a big meal after the hunt, Holly," Selina chided her as she padded out the door. "Eggs, sausages, home fries…in other words, a real breakfast."

"I believe the proper term is 'heart attack on a plate' Selina," Holly said with a pleasant smile.

"When you get the sort of work out I get every night, Holly-my-girl, you can still eat like a horse and never gain a pound."

"I really hate you," Holly jokingly said. "Did I ever mention that, Selina?"

"Not in so many words, but I see it in your body language," Selina shot back. Once she hit the kitchen, she began to assemble one of her hearty breakfasts. After expertly cracking some eggs in the pan, she glanced over at Holly with a puzzled look. "Who am I meeting with later, anyway?"

"Lucius Fox, he runs Wayne Tech," Holly replied.

Selina stopped short to stare at her friend and assistant with a slack-jawed expression. "Wayne Tech?! That's Bruce Wayne's company! He's one of the richest men on the planet--next to Lex Luthor. Who's richer, anyway, Wayne or Luthor?"

"Since you're dying to know, I'll look it up for you," Holly promised. "But for now, you should just be happy that I've got you into Wayne Tech, right?"

"Are you kidding?" Selina replied, grinning. "Getting to case the layout of Wayne Tech is a burglar's dream! That's certainly something worth getting up before the crack of noon for!"

**B&B**

As Alex left the courtroom where she had just formally arraigned Donovan Hartford, she heard a familiar voice call her name. She turned to see Rachel walking up to her in the crowded hallway.

"How did it go?" Rachel asked.

"Very smoothly."

"Saracen didn't try to throw a monkey wrench into the proceedings?"

"No, but Donovan Hartford tried to plead guilty to the whole affair right then and there. That really made Fred's day!"

Rachel laughed. "I can imagine. I take it things are still on track?"

Alex nodded. "Fred quickly talked Donovan out of it, then told the judge that his client was suffering from 'severe post-traumatic mental depression,' or whatever. In other words, Fred's going for the insanity defense. They already have a shrink lined up for him."

"That's to be expected," Rachel muttered, shaking her head in disgust. "I take it you're prepared for Fred's legal shenanigans?"

"If Fred wants to throw in the kitchen sink for his defense, let him bring it," Alex confidently told her. "I'm prepared for anything."

"Good," Rachel said with a smile. "Now that this horrid case is officially on the books, maybe things will start getting back to normal around here."

Both women were startled by the sight of a squat, pudgy man in prison garb who waddled past them, escorted by a female attorney and a bored looking male prison guard. The short prisoner, who had a long, beak-like nose and a monocle, peered up at Alex with a wide smile.

"Hiya toots!" he said cheerily to Alex. "Wish me luck in my parole hearing. Waugh! Waugh! Waugh!"

"Come along Oswald," the attorney said, shepherding him over to a courtroom. "And remember what I told you: try and look mournful, ok?"

"Yeah, I can do mournful!" the man replied, as he waddled into the courtroom. "Just watch me! Waugh! Waugh! Waugh!"

While she still reeled from meeting up with the Penguin once again, Alex received another shock as a squad of heavily armed police wheeled a monstrous-looking man down the hallway on a specially-designed hand truck. The man, whose skin had the rough texture and color of a reptile, was completely strapped down to the hand truck. Despite this, two of the police officers kept their stun guns aimed right at his face as they all moved down the corridor.

"Excuse me, ladies," one of the policemen said to Alex and Rachel. "Stand clear, please, while we move Killer Croc through."

Rachel nervously stepped back and grabbed Alex's arm as the imposing prisoner was quickly wheeled past them. Alex felt a chill run up her spine when she realized that Killer Croc had taken notice of her.

"Pretty ladies…." Killer Croc murmured in his inhuman voice, almost as if to himself. "Heheheheheh……"

'Batman actually took that creepy thug down!' Alex thought, with a mixture of awe and fear. 'Jeez, he's really not appreciated as much as he should be!'

Alex then turned to an equally stunned Rachel and muttered, "Uh, you were saying something about things getting back to normal?"

"At least as normal as it gets in this crazy city," Rachel wearily replied.

**B&B**

Far above the earth, in the outer reaches of the atmosphere, a body hovered.

Clad in a blue and red outfit, the body drifted lazily, it's long red cape billowing out behind it. To anyone who might have come across this figure, it appeared dead, with his eyes closed. But he wasn't dead.

Far from it.

Kal-El was listening.

This was his favorite vantage point, floating high above the earth--just high enough to still be within the atmosphere, and thus able to hear.

And Kal-El heard everything: conversations, religious chanting, the joyful cries of children playing, and even the lowing of water buffalo in the wetlands of Thailand. It took him a while to learn how to sift through the myriad of noise, listening for that one sound of terror, or a plea for….

"_Help_….."

Kal-El's eyes shot open.

The lone voice, a female, came once more: "Help me!! Oh, God, help me, please!"

Within seconds, he had located her. Kal-El had narrowed it down to a rural area in Texas.

Then he took flight.

Throwing his arms above his head, Kal-El swooped down to earth in one effortless motion. He flew so fast that he broke the sound barrier. The land mass rose up towards him, and he could quickly make out surface details. Torrential rains had caused a swollen river to overflow its banks, which caused a bridge to be washed out--sweeping a small car right into the water. The woman whom Kal-El had heard screaming was in the car. He could now see her, frantically trying to crawl out of the driver's side window, but the car was bouncing around too much in the turbulent water to allow her to get out.

Kal-El dove down towards the car, his hands outstretched, ready to grab it--

--but something else beat him to it.

Kal-El paused in mid-air, stunned, as he watched a giant green hand gently reach out and grab the woman's car. The green hand was roughly the size of the car itself, and it appeared translucent.

Kal-El followed the hand as it gently lifted the car from the churning waters and placed it safely on solid ground. Kal-El glanced up and saw that the strange green hand emitted from the right fist of a man in an emerald and black outfit who floated in the sky. Once the shaken woman was taken from her car by a squad of paramedics, the hand dissipated into the air.

The man in the black and green outfit now appeared surprised when he saw Kal-El. His hair was sandy brown, and he wore a mask over the upper half of his face. Kal-El gestured for the both of them to land, and the other man nodded.

"Hello," Kal-El said, once they were on the ground. "I've heard of you. It's Green Lantern, isn't it?"

"That's right," Green Lantern said. "I've certainly heard of you, Superman. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Before Kal-El could speak further, he was interrupted by a bright red flash that whizzed around them. Green Lantern was also startled, and had instinctively raised his ring up in a protective manner--until the red blur came to an abrupt stop.

Kal-El blinked at the sight before him. It was a man clad from head to toe in a red outfit that had yellow trimming. There was a lightning bolt symbol on his chest, as well as a disarming smile spread across his face.

"I was passing through when I saw the commotion," he said. "I decided to see what was up, but it looks like I'm too late for this party. I'm The Flash, by the way."

"I'm Green Lantern, and this is--"

"Superman," the Flash said with a nod. He glanced at Kal-El with obvious awe and added, "Heck, the entire planet knows who you are, big guy."

"I've heard of you, as well," Kal-El told him. "You operate out of Central City."

"Guilty as charged," the Flash said, holding up his hands. "Speaking of which, I should get back there. Captain Cold's on the rampage…again!"

"Need a lift?" Green Lantern offered. "Central City's a long way from here."

The Flash waved his hand. "It's just a hop and a skip away for me. But thanks, anyway. You know, it's too bad we can't stop and chat for a bit--I'd love to trade war stories with you guys. Well, see you!"

Before Kal-El and Green Lantern could even say goodbye, the Flash was already gone--having vanished with a flit, and leaving only a dust trail in his wake across the prairie.

"He truly _is_ the fastest man alive," Green Lantern muttered, sounding impressed.

When Kal-El heard multiple rotors, he glanced up and saw several news helicopters circling around him and Green Lantern. "I suppose we should get going, as well…."

Green Lantern nodded. "I've also got business to attend to. It was a pleasure meeting you, Superman. I hope we meet again, and have more time to talk."

"Same here," Kal-El replied. "Take care, Green Lantern."

They both flew off in the opposite direction of each other. One of the news choppers tried to give pursuit to Kal-El, but it quickly gave up once it realized that he was too fast.

Kal-El returned to the Daily Planet building in Metropolis. It wasn't hard to miss, since it was the only building in town with a large globe on top of its roof. Kal-El landed on the roof, switched back into his Clark Kent persona, and entered the stairwell all within the blink of an eye.

When he emerged in the Daily Planet press room, Clark Kent gave Lois Lane a smile as he took a seat at his desk.

"Where have you been, Smallville?" Lois asked him.

"Oh, just took a little stroll, Lois," he said affably. "Sometimes I prefer to just take a walk on my lunch break--it helps to clear the mind, you know."

Lois gestured at one of the multitude of TV sets that were bolted on the walls all over the newsroom. "Yeah, well, as usual, you missed a big story. Superman, Green Lantern and the Flash all had a meeting just now. It looks like this might have been the first time these guys had actually met."

"Really?" Clark feigned surprise as he gazed at footage of him speaking with the other two superheroes. "Well, isn't that something."

"I'd love to have been a fly on the wall during _that_ conversation," Lois said dreamily.

Kal-El found himself feeling oddly sad at he stared at the footage of himself speaking with the Flash and Green Lantern. Recalling what both of his fellow superheroes had said about wishing how they could all chat a little bit longer, Kal-El realized that he had felt the same way.

And then another memory abruptly flashed out of nowhere from within Kal-El's mind. It was a year ago, in Gotham City; after he, Kara and The Batman had just defeated the plans of the Riddler--who had unleashed an army of robots on the city.

Kal-El had been standing in the street with Kara and Batman when Inspector Olivia Benson--who had been greatly mesmerized with their efforts to defeat the Riddler's plans--had excitedly mentioned something to the effect that they should all start a superhero group.

'What did she suggest we call it?' Kal-El wondered, as he sought to recollect the name for their group that Inspector Benson had offered. 'Ah yes…the Justice League. But that's such a silly idea.'

Kal-El frowned when he glanced up at another TV, which showed a breaking news story. He left his desk to get a better look at the screen, which showed a devastating fire that threatened to consume an offshore oil rig off the coast of California.

'I shouldn't have wasted my time chatting with the boys,' he chided himself. 'Instead, I should have done one more patrol before returning home; I might have spotted that before it became too--'

"Wait, Lewis!" the reporter in the news chopper joyfully said. "Rescue has arrived! The Red Tornado is here!"

'The Red Tornado?' Kal-El thought, puzzled. 'I never heard of _this_ guy….'

He watched, relieved, as the red, blue and yellow-clad figure swept up a column of water from the surrounding ocean and poured it onto the oil rig, instantly dousing the blaze.

"So many superheroes running around here these days, huh, Mr. Kent?" Jimmy Olsen said, as he came up alongside the older man. "You'd need a scorecard to keep up with all of them."

"You can say that again, Jimmy," Kal-El agreed.

"I wonder if they've got some sort of a dispatch center, which sends them out on these special missions?" Jimmy wondered.

"Yes," Kal-El thoughtfully muttered, as a realization struck him. That would be the best reason for a superhero group: it would be a clearing house for information; a place from which they could better coordinate all of their efforts to help people in need. "Yes, of course…."

"Of course--what, Mr. Kent?" Jimmy asked, looking confused.

"Uh, forgive me, Jimmy, I just remembered something," Kal-El told the younger man. "My mind's been wandering, that's all."

Jimmy smiled at him. "Pondering the great mysteries of the universe again, Mr. Kent?"

As he walked back to his desk, Kal-El could not help but smile back. "You could say that, Jimmy."

'Think I'll give Diana a call later, and run this idea by her,' Kal-El thought, as he sat down at his desk. He smiled slightly. 'The Justice League…maybe that's not such a bad idea after all. Thank you, Inspector Benson!'

**B&B**

Olivia sighed as she sat back at her desk. There were some days--like today--when she wondered if she'd ever make a difference in this crazy world. No sooner had Donovan Hartford had been arraigned in court today by Alex than the Gotham City SVU received three new cases, with one of them being a sexual assault at a school.

Olivia had assigned six of her detectives to deal with the cases, which was nearly two thirds of her entire squad. 'If anything else comes in today, I might have to take Linda out with me and go investigate it ourselves!' she thought wearily. Then she realized with a groan that Linda was presently on her lunch break. 'And so now I'd be going out by myself…great, just great….'

Her mood perked up when Sam Spade poked her head into her office. "Got a minute, Liv? I just wanted to say goodbye, and thanks."

"I always have a moment for you," Olivia said, as she got up and gestured for Sam to come in. "Hartford's been arraigned this morning."

"Yes, I heard," Sam replied, smiling. "Martin and I are headed back home. Now that Hartford's confessing to everything, we expect to clear a lot of cold cases in our squad. Thanks again for all the help."

"Glad to help out as much as I could, but it was really Batman whom you should thank," Olivia told her. "He found Hartford--and saved Simone Weatherly."

"I wish I could thank him in person. How's Simone doing by the way?"

Olivia smiled. "Great, just great. She's meeting with Alex later today to help set up the court case against Hartford. That is one tough kid, Sam." She glanced around and added, "Where's Martin?"

Sam appeared uneasy. "Uh, he's waiting for me in the car. He's still got a major problem with the fact that Batman cracked the case."

Olivia became incensed. "You tell him that if it weren't for Batman, Simone probably wouldn't be alive right now?"

"Oh, we had words, believe me," Sam replied with a sigh. "Martin has always been a 'by the book' kind of guy. He sees Batman--and other superheroes--as being nothing more than a nuisance. Me, I'm just filled with girlish glee at just having been in the same room that the Dark Knight has been in."

Olivia burst into laughter at that. "You have a safe trip home, Sam. And don't be a stranger, huh? Let's not only get together whenever there's a crisis, ok?"

"You bet, Liv. Take care."

After Sam Spade left, Olivia stood by the windows of her office and shook her head. 'Batman saves a young girl's life and that's not good enough for Mr. Martin 'by-the-book' Fitzgerald,' she thought with disgust. 'Jeez, there's just no pleasing some people….'

When she heard a commotion out in the bull pen, Olivia went to the doorway of her office to see what was going on. She grinned at the sight of Andrea and Mike hauling in an old "friend" of theirs, none other than Ritchie Marlins, who did time in the past for selling kiddie porn over the internet.

"Well, well, well," Olivia said, as she walked over to the handcuffed Marlins. "I told you we'd be seeing you real soon, Ritchie." She glanced at her detectives and asked, "What's the charge?"

"Breaking the terms of his parole," Mike replied. "You should see the computer equipment he's got at his house, Inspector."

"There were special circumstances this time," Ritchie said, looking annoyed.

"Oh, yeah, I bet there were," Olivia shot back. "But isn't that always the case with you, Ritchie? Weren't you crying about there being special circumstances the last time we caught you?"

"I never would have gone near a computer had I not been blackmailed," Ritchie said. "I was forced to do it this time, Inspector."

"Forced by who? The internet elves?"

Marlins gave Olivia a hard look. "You think I'm just blowing smoke here, right? But I'm not. There's a new player in town, Inspector Benson. And this dude is really playing for keeps."

There was something in the way he spoke that sent a chill up Olivia's back. She stared carefully back at him, looking for the subtle signs that Marlins might be lying--but he wasn't.

"All right, I'll bite," Olivia said. "So who is this criminal mastermind?"

"I got a name," Marlins answered. "But what's it worth to you?"

"You want a deal?" Olivia asked. She shook her head. "Sorry, we're all out."

After Mike escorted Marlins into interrogation room number 3, Olivia held out her hand to stop Andrea. "Wait, did he say anything about this to you when you nabbed him?"

"He just kept saying, over and over, that it wasn't his fault this time," Andrea responded. "He never mentioned this part until we got here. You think he's serious, Inspector?"

"I don't know," Olivia said thoughtfully. "But if he _is_ serious, see if you can sweat it out of him in the box without cutting any deals, ok?"

When she parted ways with Andrea, a troubled Olivia returned to her office, where she brooded at her desk. She sincerely hoped Marlins was simply just bluffing.

'Because the last thing we need right now is another frigging super villain on the loose,' she grimly thought.

**B&B**

"It's coming along very well," Lucius Fox said, as they rode the elevator down together. "It's just a shame that we've lost the contract."

Bruce--who had been momentarily distracted--quickly nodded in agreement. He had tried to call Harvey Dent earlier, but only got his answering machine. Still, he had to stay focused on the here and now. He could always try Harvey again later. But now, there was business to attend to.

"Yes, since Wayne Tech lost the contract, Lucius, it looks like the space station will continue to be grounded for a while." Bruce then gave a slight shrug. "But, in a way, maybe it's for the best."

Fox gave him a puzzled look. "How so?"

"The new space station will now be built as a joint project by the international community," Bruce said. "That's really the way it should be. If we're truly going to explore the stars, it should be done with as earth as a whole, united family, rather than just with one single corporation."

Fox nodded. "Very inspiring, and I do agree with that noble sentiment, Bruce. The only problem is Wayne Tech will now have to eat the cost of building that big beast of a space station. Unless we can unload it on Disney for use as a ride in one of their theme parks…."

Bruce smiled. "That might actually work, Lucius. You never know."

Lucius glanced at his watch. "I've got a meeting with yet another one of these art experts, thanks to you. She's the fifth one today. Are you planning to renovate the lobby, Bruce?"

"Not really," Bruce replied. The elevator doors opened, and they both stepped out into the lobby. "By the way, how many of these art experts have been women?"

Lucius frowned at him. "So far today, all of them. May I ask what's going on, here, Bruce? If you're not planning to renovate, why have you called every art expert in town to consult with us on the art in the lobby?"

"I'm getting the word out, Lucius," Bruce replied softly. "Think of it as sending an invitation out to a very special person: Catwoman."

Lucius looked stunned. "You want Catwoman to try and rob us?"

"I want Catwoman to show up here," Bruce replied. "I'm planning a very special welcome for her. She's got to be an art expert, Lucius--or at least she has somebody working with her who knows art. In any event, I figure if I make enough noise, I should draw her into my trap."

Lucius shook his head, smiling. "You know, Bruce, most millionaires have more simple hobbies, like collecting antique cars."

"It's more than just a hobby for me, my friend," Bruce said, as he got into the car. "Talk to you later."

Lucius Fox stared after the Bentley as it drove off into traffic. Then he glanced up at the Wayne Tech building and shuddered at the thought that it may well become a battleground between Batman and Catwoman.

'Think I'll go home early today!' he thought.

**B&B**

"Little coward," Donald Hartford muttered under his breath.

As he paced in the private office within his mansion, Hartford still fumed over the fact that Rupert Thorne quickly turned down the hit that Hartford had requested on Rachel Dawes, saying that it was too 'hot,' whatever the hell that meant. The nerve of Boss Thorne, actually saying 'no' to him…to Donald Hartford, of all people!

No matter. As usual, Donald Hartford took matters into his own hands. He had made some phone calls over the course of the day, and had found an interested party who might be willing to kill Dawes--if the price was right, of course. And it will be; no matter what they asked for the hit, Hartford would pay it. It would be worth paying a million dollars just to see the smug look forever wiped from Dawes face, once a bullet was lodged in her brain.

Hartford ceased pacing when the door abruptly flew open and a strange man entered the office. 'What was going on?' Hartford angrily wondered. The house servants should have called him before letting this man in. "Who are you?"

"Bernie," the man replied. "We spoke on the phone."

He had a hangdog look to his face that Hartford found pathetic. 'I hope he's not the one who's making the hit,' Hartford thought. "How did you get inside without the servants--"

"The servants are all dead," a second man said, as he entered the office. "Just as you shall soon be."

Hartford was stunned--not only at what the second man had said, but at the sight of him as well. He wore an overcoat with a hat, yet the hat could not hide his hideous face. Half of his face was burned away, scarred in a ghastly purple rash, while the other half--

Hartfort blinked his eyes in disbelief.

--the other half of the man's face actually looked familiar.

"Harvey Dent?" Hartford said incredulously. "Is this some kind of a sick joke?"

Without warning, Dent pulled out a gun and shot Hartford in the chest. Hartford, growing numb, fell to the floor--where he helplessly lay as the deformed Dent loomed over him, flipping a coin in the air. The scene was so bizarre that, had he not been shot, Hartford would have laughed.

"Heads, I shoot you in the face," Dent said, expertly catching the coin in his hand, "tails, I let you bleed to death…."

When he glanced at the coin, Dent smiled. The smile made the burnt side of his face look grisly. "Heads, it is."

As Hartford watched him aim the gun right at his face, he said, "Dent, wait, please…."

"The name is Two-Face," the man who would be his killer calmly replied, "and if anybody is going to kill Rachel Dawes, it's gonna be me!"

The very last thing Donald Hartford saw in this world was Two-Face pulling the trigger on the gun.

**To Be Continued...**


	4. Chapter 4

_As always, I'd like to thank piecesofyourheart, theoldman, D.J. Scales, and Rebelbyrdie for their kind words of encouragement. Hope everybody enjoys the new chapter. _

**Batman & Benson 3**

**Chapter Four**

The thunder was a distant rumble in the night sky as Dick Grayson removed the costume that his deceased mother made for him from the trunk. He laid it out on his bed and then got undressed.

As he put the costume on, piece by piece, a multitude of lightning flashes erupted through the window. He noted that it was a strange thunderstorm, with very little rain--but plenty of lights and noise. It almost appeared as if something unsettled was churning above, at the very heights of heaven.

Dick knew that, if nothing else, his stomach certainly felt unsettled. He felt nervous putting on the costume for the first time. Once he finished putting everything on, he gazed at himself in the full length mirror.

It was a perfect fit, and it even felt right. Dick smiled sadly. Leave it to his mother--God rest her soul--to instinctively know his size without measuring him.

As he stared at himself, now clad in the red, green and yellow outfit, another roar of thunder erupted from outside. The lights in the room flickered momentarily.

"Are you insane?" Dick whispered to himself in the mirror. "Do you have any idea what you're about to do?"

Yet the masked vigilante who silently stared back at him appeared cool and calm. It was as if he stared at a total stranger--and in that instant, Dick Grayson realized why he felt no fear.

Because, once he had put the costume on, he became someone else--a fearless avenger who was more than willing to do whatever it took to bring the killers of his family to justice.

Starting tonight.

Starting right now.

The skies lit up with such intense lightning that it nearly appeared to be daytime for a brief moment. This was followed by a clap of thunder so immense, it sounded as if a howitzer had been fired right out side Wayne Mansion.

The electricity went out right then, throwing the room into blackness. Then, a split second later, Wayne Manor's emergency generators kicked in, and the lights came back on once more.

Yet when the lights came on, they revealed an empty bedroom.

Robin was already gone.

**B&B**

"Mr. Janus?" Rachel said with an incredulous look on her face.

Olivia nodded. She, Alex and Rachel were in the latter's office in the district attorney's building. The news that Olivia had uncovered was so urgent that she immediately went to the DA about it. "Ritchie Marlins claims that he was blackmailed into working for a man by that name."

"A child pornographer with a conspiracy theory about how he was framed?" Alex said with heavy sarcasm. "Hmm, that sounds very familiar, Olivia."

"I was skeptical at first, too," Olivia admitted. "And, originally, Marlins tried to use this information as leverage to cut a deal. But when we wouldn't bite, he gave everything up in the hope that we'd give him leniency."

Rachel regarded Olivia with a serious expression. "You actually believe him?"

"He's not lying, Rachel. I watched Mike and Andrea try to shake him in the box, yet even after several hours of rattling and verbal abuse, Marlins is still sticking to his story. He swears that if it weren't for this Mr. Janus, he never would have gone near a computer to begin with. He also says that there are others in Janus' gang with records and prior convictions. This was how Janus recruited them, by holding their past convictions over their heads."

"Sweet Jesus," Alex said softly. "What did this Janus want Marlin to do?"

Olivia took a deep breath, as if bracing herself to say what she had to say. "He had Marlins use his computer and electronic expertise to spy on people, Alex. Marlins says he recently overheard a conversation between Boss Thorne and Donald Hartford, where Hartford requested Thorne to kill Rachel."

Rachel flinched when she heard this news, as if she had received an electric shock.

Alex's eyes grew very wide behind her glasses. "Oh, come on, Olivia! You can't believe that's true. I mean, Hartford isn't _that _crazy, is he?"

"Well, Thorne's not that crazy, because--again, according to Marlins--he turned Hartford down cold. And that's not all. Marlins claims that this Mr. Janus character had him spy on all of us, as well."

Alex reeled in horror at what she just heard. "When you say 'all of us' do you mean--?"

"I mean Rachel; the Commissioner; Harvey Bullock; Renee Montoya…as well as us--you and me, Alex."

"Just who the hell is this Mr. Janus, anyway?" Rachel angrily said.

"Marlins claims that he never saw the guy's face," Olivia told her. "And that he was never really let in on what the big picture was--other than the vague fact that it's about vengeance."

"Vengeance?" Rachel's eyes grew wide. "Against all of us?"

"Yeah," Olivia said uneasily.

"Does Marlins have a recording of this conversation between Thorne and Hartford?" Rachel asked.

Olivia shook her head. "He says he already gave the only copy to Janus."

Rachel was about to say something further when she was interrupted by the ringing of her phone. "Excuse me a moment," she said, as she went to answer it. "Yeah, Dawes."

"Just when things were starting to look somewhat normal," Alex said in exasperation. She removed her glasses and wearily rubbed her eyes. "What does it take to keep the crazies at bay in this town?"

"What?!" Rachel suddenly cried into the phone. "When the hell did _this_ happen?"

Both Olivia and Alex fearfully watched Rachel as she nodded and muttered, "Yeah, all right. No, I'll meet you there."

"Meet who?" Alex asked, when Rachel hung up the phone.

"And where?" Olivia added. "What just happened?"

Rachel just shook her head in disbelief. "That was Jim. There's been a 911 call from the Hartford Mansion. Something about multiple murders."

**B&B**

Commissioner James Gordon arrived at the Hartford Mansion with a disdainful look on his face. News reporters had hounded his car as it passed through the gate. His police did a good job at keeping the fourth estate under control, but Gordon could still sense the reporters' blood-crazed frenzy.

'First Donovan Hartford gets arraigned for being a serial killer, and now this,' he thought. 'No wonder the press is going nuts. This is a headline story made in heaven.'

When his driver pulled up to the front doors, Gordon got out and was pleased to see Renee Montoya stood there, waiting for him.

"Is it true?" he asked her. "Are they all dead?"

Renee nodded. "That they are, sir. All shot to death."

"Including Donald Hartford?" Gordon asked, as they entered the spacious home.

"Especially him, sir. He was shot twice--once in the chest, the second time in the head. Looks like the killer wanted to make sure he was a goner."

"God damn it," Gordon muttered, as they walked past the canvas-covered body of one of the maids. "Does this look like a hit to you?"

"It looks that way. Nothing of value was stolen. And it appears they broke in through one of the windows in the garage."

"They?" Gordon asked. "There was more than one?"

"Dr. Cavanaugh says the servants were all killed some time before Hartford, and from the placement of the bodies, as well as their time of death, there had to have been more than one killer," Montoya said.

Gordon let out a sad sigh at the sight of another dead maid on the floor. "Where's Cavanaugh now?"

"She's with Hartford's body, in the deceased's office," Montoya said. "Come with me. I'll show you the way, sir."

Montoya led Gordon past another body--a male butler, from the looks of him--as they walked down a hallway to an office at the end. Harvey Bullock stood in the doorway, and greeted them with a sour look on his face. "Helluva case this time, Commish."

Gordon glanced over and saw Dr. Jordan Cavanaugh standing by the desk. The pretty, dark-haired woman, a recent transfer to Gotham City from the Boston medical examiner's office, was taking photos of Hartford's body when she abruptly stopped and frowned at something.

"What's wrong, doc?" Bullock asked.

"I think there's something lodged in his throat," Cavanaugh replied, as she bent down and retrieved a pair of thin tweezers and a flashlight from her bag.

"You need any help, there?" Bullock asked, as he eagerly went over to the woman.

Gordon and Montoya shot each other a furtive look of puzzlement at Harvey's odd, schoolboy-like behavior.

Just as she was about to peer down Hartford's throat, Cavanaugh paused to glance up at Harvey with an irritated expression. "You really want to help, Harvey? You want to hold his jaws open for me? Huh?"

Bullock simply stared at her with a disgusted look on his face.

Cavanaugh gave him a knowing nod. "Yeah, I didn't think so…."

She then proceeded to shine the flashlight down Hartford's throat and retrieved an object with the tweezers.

Montoya let out a sharp gasp when Cavanaugh held it up for them to see on the end of the tweezers.

It was a metallic Batdart--the very same type that the Batman used in his arsenal to fight crime.

"I knew it!" Bullock cried. "Bats has finally gone nuts. It was just a matter of time before that costumed freak started killing people, Commish!"

Montoya let out a curse in Spanish. "Harvey, I swear, you can be so dense at times!"

"If Batman truly wanted to kill somebody, he wouldn't have used a gun," Gordon curtly told him. "And the fact that he refrained himself from killing Donovan Hartford--of all people--on that church roof should be more than enough proof for anybody that the Dark Knight is no murderer."

"The Batdart was inserted postmortem," Cavanaugh informed them, as she glanced down Hartford's throat once more.

"Batman brought Donovan Hartford to justice, and now Hartford's father is killed," Gordon muttered. "But by who? A family member of one of Donovan's victims?"

"Could the killing be a message?" Montoya wondered aloud. "But saying what?"

"We might be able to help with that," a female voice said.

Gordon looked over to see Olivia, Alex and Rachel all enter the room. It was Olivia who spoke.

"This ain't an SVU case, Inspector," Bullock said haughtily.

"Maybe not," Olivia said. "But it may be connected to a SVU case."

Gordon listened as she explained about the interrogation of Ritchie Marlins, and the attempted assassination plot he'd overheard that Hartford tried to hatch with Thorne, as well as the possibility that they may be facing a new threat.

"Mr. Janus?" Bullock said, annoyed. "What's this, another freaking super villain? Just what we need!"

Gordon understood what he meant. It hadn't been enough of a respite for him since the Riddler hit town with his bizarre heist plot last year. Yet the fact that this Mr. Janus recruited his henchmen through blackmail of their illicit pasts really unnerved Gordon--it meant that if this Janus character had access to records of prior convictions, then he must have somebody on the inside of police headquarters working for him.

'Unless he's a former cop himself,' Gordon thought.

"Too bad we don't have the tape of Hartford's conversation with Thorne," Montoya said.

"I know," Olivia said with a frown. Then, turning to Gordon, she added, "But I've placed Marlins under special witness protection."

Gordon nodded. "Good. And he's not the only one who's going into protection. You will, too, Rachel--starting right now."

The district attorney looked as if she was about to argue that point, until Gordon cut her off by waving his hand. "And don't even bother trying to persuade me to do otherwise," he said. "You can consider Olivia to be your bodyguard--just until she sees you home tonight."

Yet Rachel still shook her head. "You know how hard it is for me to do my job with bodyguards trailing me, Jim? Besides, the man who wants me dead is now dead himself."

"We don't know for sure if the threat to you is over. And Gotham City has already lost two DAs to violence, and I'm not about to let that happen to you," Gordon firmly said. He glanced at Olivia. "See to it that she gets home safe, Liv. I'll assign a permanent protection detail to relieve you as soon as possible."

"Yes, sir," she said. Olivia gave a petulant Rachel a slight shrug, as if to say: 'what-can-you-do?'

"I can't help but wonder if Hartford's scheming to have Rachel killed was what got _him_ killed," Alex mused.

"Liv said we're all being spied upon by this Janus jerk," Bullock said. "But he's also spying on Boss Thorne, too. He's spying on everybody on both sides of the law. What's his game?"

"If this Mr. Janus is anything like the Riddler, my guess is we'll know what he wants eventually," Olivia said wearily. "These frigging super villains always reveal their master plan soon enough."

Dr. Cavanaugh finished up her examination of the body. "I've done as much as I can do here, Commissioner," she said, walking to the door. "I'm calling my boys to come in and bag him."

"Very good, Doctor," Gordon replied.

"You sure you don't want to join her, Harvey?" Montoya teased Bullock, after Cavanaugh left the room. "She might need a door held open for her!"

"Quit it!" Bullock snapped, his face growing red. "So I think she's a classy lady, all right?"

"Aw, Harvey," Alex cooed, as she gave him a warm smile. "That's really sweet! Did you ask her out, yet?"

Bullock's face turned a scarlet shade of traffic light red as he simply stared at the ceiling in exasperation. "Look, could we just focus on the case at hand, here?!"

"Good idea," Rachel agreed. "If we're facing another super villain, maybe we should call our mutual friend for help."

Olivia nodded. "Commissioner, this might be a good time to light up the Bat-signal."

"I'm afraid our friend is already busy with another super villain tonight," Gordon told them. "He's doing a stake-out for Catwoman."

**B&B**

Batman hunched in the shadows, just below the ceiling of the darkened lobby of the main offices of Wayne Tech. He patiently observed as the night shift security guards all met up at the main security console to receive their marching orders. Then, with each guard having been assigned their sector, all of the guards dispersed to go on patrol, leaving the lobby empty, with its valuable artworks protected only by an electronic security system.

'If she's coming tonight,' Batman thought, bracing himself, 'it will be now.'

The Dark Knight remained where he was, and watched the empty lobby for several more minutes--until he saw her.

Catwoman slinked in from a maintenance door, her feline movements quick and silent. She made a beeline for the diamond that was on display at the far end of the lobby.

The Cat's Eye diamond.

'Of course,' Batman thought. 'How utterly typical….'

Throwing out his cape, Batman electrified them so they solidified into wings--which allowed him to glide silently to the ground right behind Catwoman. Once he was on the floor, a simple flick of his wrists converted the wings back into his cape again.

He strode up right behind Catwoman, and--in his best, bone-chilling tone--said, "This ends, now…."

Catwoman turned, stared right at him--

--and she burst into laughter.

"Hello, Batman," she said in her sultry voice. "Come to play with kitty once more?"

Batman stared back at her, amazed that--out of all the criminals that he'd encountered over the years--Catwoman was still the only one who was never frightened of him. At first he thought she simply hid her fear very well. But he now knew that Catwoman had never been afraid of him at all. She wasn't even disconcerted by the sight of him. If she wasn't on the wrong side of the law, Batman could almost admire Catwoman.

But she was a criminal, and as such, Batman had to take her down.

Without warning, Batman pulled out the net gun and shot it at her. As it did with Olivia, the netting hit Catwoman perfectly, wrapping itself tightly around her torso and pinning her arms to her chest.

Catwoman casually glanced down at the netting that covered her. "Hmmm, kinky."

Batman watched as she helplessly struggled with the netting. "It's over, Catwoman," he said gently. He took a step towards her. "Give it up and--"

Catwoman abruptly stabbed her right leg out in a fierce kick, which landed squarely on Batman's stomach. The force of the blow sent him helplessly reeling backwards, until he fell roughly on his back.

That was when he heard a ripping sound.

Batman glanced up and saw a smiling Catwoman slice the netting off of her body with the claws on her hands. Then, with her arms now free, she leapt over and landed on Batman in a straddling position.

"Had I known you liked to play rough," she said in a husky whisper, "I would have brought my cuffs."

Batman moved to kick her off of him--yet Catwoman had already anticipated him and instantly leapt from his body in a fluid, twirling back-flip that would have made a gymnast dizzy. Batman jumped to his feet and watched as she continued to somersault across the floor of the lobby.

She came to a halt right in front of a side door--just in time to come face to face with a security guard, who had just entered the lobby.

Striking a clawing pose, with her hands above her head, Catwoman stuck her face right into the man's fearful eyes and said, in a meek little voice: "Meow…."

"Holy--!" was all the frightened security guard could say, before he scrambled back behind the door and slammed it shut.

"Oh, God, I love my job," Catwoman murmured with satisfaction.

Batman tossed a Batarang at her feet--yet Catwoman was already gone, having expertly climbed up the Mayan-influenced tiles on the walls, which gave her plenty of footholds.

'Maybe I _should_ renovate the damn lobby after all,' Batman sullenly thought, as he gave chase to the woman. 'Make it less super villain friendly….'

He shot a grappling line into the ceiling and swung up onto the second floor balcony just as Catwoman reached the railing. She expertly somersaulted over the railing and landed on her feet on the balcony. Catwoman paused to give Batman an expectant stare.

"Do you think you have what it takes to catch me?" she asked, her head cocked to one side.

"Watch me," Batman said, as he leapt at her.

Yet once again, Catwoman effortlessly dived out of the way, and Batman found himself lying face-down on the floor, his arms clutching nothing. He quickly rolled up into a combat stance and--glancing around him--saw that Catwoman was gone.

"Is that the best you can do?" her taunting voice echoed throughout the vast, empty lobby.

He saw her, lounging carelessly on a ledge above him, the broad grin on her face making her look for all the world like the Cheshire Cat.

Yet before Batman could make a move towards her, the doors directly in front of him burst open, revealing a squad of security guards all aiming their taser guns at him.

"FREEZE!" the security team leader yelled, the fear apparent in his wide eyes.

"No," Batman calmly replied, as he threw a capsule at the floor.

There was a flash, and the balcony was consumed in thick smoke. Batman was shot several times with the tasers, but his Batsuit protected him from the electrical charges.

Batman shot another grappling line at the ceiling, and he pulled himself up to a trapdoor--which was already opened, due to the fact that this was Catwoman's escape route.

Emerging on the roof, Batman paused for a quick glance around to see where Catwoman went. He spotted her, jumping onto the roof of the adjoining building.

Then Catwoman hesitated, glanced back at him, and waved cheerily.

'It's gonna be one of those nights,' Batman dourly thought, as he once again gave chase to the one person who always managed to vex him.

**B&B**

Barbra stretched out on her bed like a cat and thought, 'Life is good!'

It was late Friday night, her homework was done, and she had settled into a cozy little niche in her bedroom. The weekend, with all its pleasures, lay before her like an unexplored country, filled with promises of delights. But for right now, though, Barbra was extremely content to be right where she was: just lying in bed, reading her favorite magazines, while listening to her favorite music on her iPod.

Barbra frowned when she heard a static-filled voice speaking--yet when she pulled out the iPod ear plugs, she realized that she still heard it. Her eyes grew wide when it occurred to her that the static wasn't coming from her iPod, but from the police band radio that she had tucked under her bed.

Reaching down, she pulled out the radio and turned up the volume. There was an emergency call regarding Batman giving chase to Catwoman across the rooftops on Wessex Street.

'That's just down the block from here!' Barbara thought with a gasp.

She let out a little groan of annoyance. A part of her just wanted to remain here, snuggled up nice warm and safe, listening to her music and reading. Now she would have to don the Batwoman costume and go out in the chilly night. But Batman might need her help--and Barbara would love nothing more than to aid him in capturing Catwoman.

Barbra let out a moan of frustration as she reluctantly got up and pulled her costume out of its hidden spot in the closet.

"Nobody mentioned about the times when being a superhero can really suck," she whispered crankily.

**B&B**

'There she is,' Batman thought, once he caught sight of Catwoman doing a careless somersault over the edge of a roof. He shook his head in distain. 'She's either very brave, or very crazy….'

Batman threw out his cape and solidified it into wings, which enabled him to not only glide across the space in-between the buildings, but also to catch up to Catwoman. He landed on the roof right next to her, just as Catwoman threw out her left leg in a savage kick.

But Batman was ready for that move; he ducked down, rolled across the ground, and jumped up in a combat stance--only to witness Catwoman charge at him again. He easily deflected the blow that she gave him, yet when Batman went to hit her back, Catwoman dived down and kicked his legs out from underneath him.

Batman landed roughly on the ground, and once again Catwoman straddled him. Just as he went to shove her off of him, Catwoman grabbed Batman's arms and pushed them to the side.

"Admit it," she said, in a breathy tone of voice, "you enjoy our little nights out on the town, don't you?"

"You need help," he told her firmly.

"And will you be the one to help me?" she asked in a teasing manner. "Saint Batman, the guardian angel of wayward women?"

There was something about this woman that simply infuriated the Batman to no end. Perhaps it was the way she took everything so casually, or--

Batman was startled when she abruptly kissed him on the mouth. He was even further startled at the fact that he hesitated in his reaction. Instead, as they held the kiss, he reached up and caressed Catwoman's firm legs, his hands reaching up to touch her--

"Stop it!" Batman ordered, as she shoved her off of him.

Catwoman smiled as she expertly got to her feet. "Maybe I should let you capture me, Bats. See what kind of punishment you have in store for this bad little kitty…."

Batman stood up. "This isn't a game."

"Life is but a game, darling," she replied. "The sooner you realize that, the better off you'll be."

"Then this little game of yours ends right now," Batman informed her.

Catwoman smiled at him broadly. "Only if you catch me, first!"

Batman reached out to grab her, but she was too damn fast. Catwoman had already turned away and had broken into a mad dash for the ledge of the building.

As Batman gave chase, he reached for a Batarang to throw at her feet. But the Dark Knight had been distracted by a loud, disturbing sound that was close by.

It was gunfire.

**B&B**

_Five minutes earlier._

'There they are!' Barbra thought, as she landed on the rooftop just several feet away from Batman and Catwoman.

She watched in awe as they battled briefly--then Catwoman kicked Batman's legs out from under him and he went down. Barbra let out a gasp as Catwoman straddled him like a lover.

'Oh, that hussy!' Barbra angrily thought. She was about to run over and kick that stinking slut off of the Dark Knight when a sudden movement out of the corner of her eye had caught Barbra's attention.

Barbara saw two men hunched down behind a skylight, about several feet away from her. One of them was taking pictures of Batman and Catwoman with a camera. The other spoke quietly into a cell phone.

'Who the hell are they?' Barbara wondered. The guy taking pictures didn't look like a reporter.

As she slowly crept up on the two men, Barbra cringed when she inadvertently kicked an old soda can with her foot, which created a clattering sound.

Both of the men glanced back at the sound and found her standing there.

"Louie!" the guy with the camera urgently shouted.

"Yeah, I see her," the other man said, as he calmly put the phone away. "Don't worry; I've got this covered…."

Barbara's eyes grew fearfully wide when she saw the man pull out a gun and aim it right at her. Somehow, she overcame her terror and dived behind the steel beams of a water tower just as he began to open fire.

Barbra pressed herself up against the steel beams, cringing in terror as the bullets ricocheted all around her. Panic had gripped her to the point where she could barely move, let alone think of a way out of this situation.

Then she realized that the gunfire had stopped.

When Barbra cautiously peered around the beam, she saw why.

Batman was here. He took out the gunman with one solid punch across the face. The gunman landed in a sprawled-out position flat on his back, just as his partner with the camera began to run away.

The thug with the camera ran towards Barbra, who was still hiding behind the steel beam. This gave her an idea.

Just as the man ran past her, Barbra stuck her foot out, tripping him.

'Hey! It worked!' Barbra thought, smiling, as the thug stumbled to the ground. Then she sensed a presence behind her.

When Barbra turned around, she saw Batman was staring right at her.

**B&B**

'What the hell…?' Batman thought, stunned, as he stared at the sight before him.

Underneath the water tower stood a young woman who was clad in an outfit similar to his own, albeit customized to suit her slim feminine body. Long red hair flowed out from behind her cowl, and her bat emblem--along with her gloves, belt and boots--was yellow in color.

Once she saw him, the young Batgirl's reaction was instantaneous: she was so startled that she jumped back nearly a foot and squealed: _"OH GAWD!!"_

She then turned and ran for her life into the shadows underneath the water tower.

"Wait!" Batman called after her, giving chase. But the man whom she had tripped began to get to his feet. Batman grabbed him by the throat and hauled him up so that they were face to face. "What were you just doing with that girl?!"

"N-Nothing!" the scared man replied. "I swear, we didn't even know she was there until now!"

"You were shooting at something, was it her?!"

"It was Marty! He was shooting at her. He-he's crazy! I didn't want to--"

_"DO NOT LIE TO ME!"_

"I swear to Jesus Christ and all above I'm telling the truth," the man pleaded. "We were spying on _you_! We were taking pictures of _you_!"

That revelation gave Batman pause. "Why?!"

"I-I don't know why, he didn't tell us why--"

Batman pulled the man close so that they were eye-to-eye. "_Who_ didn't tell you?"

"Mr. Janus," the man said. "He was the one who made us do this."

"He _made_ you spy on me?" Batman said sarcastically.

The man nodded. "Yes, yes, he did. He-he blackmailed me, he blackmailed all of us. I don't know why Mr. Janus wanted us to follow and take pictures of you, but we didn't dare ask!" He handed Batman the camera. "Here! Take the camera, please, just don't hurt me!"

Batman took the camera from him and let the man fall to the ground. "If you know what's best for you, you'll stay the hell down," Batman snarled at him.

The man remained spread out flat on the ground as Batman looked over the photos that he took on the digital camera's display screen. They were all pictures of his battle with Catwoman just now.

'Catwoman,' Batman thought with a weary sigh. 'She's probably long gone from here by now….'

Still, this evening wasn't a total loss. Although he lost another round with the super feline burglar, Batman had just received some valuable intel about a possible new player in Gotham City.

'Not to mention a possible new hero,' he thought, gazing in the direction he saw Batgirl take flight. He somehow got the uneasy feeling that she wasn't just a kid playing around in a Halloween costume. 'Well, we'll deal with her when the time comes--right now, I need to know more about this Mr. Janus.'

Batman walked over to the man, who obediently remained spread out face-down on the ground. He timidly glanced up at Batman and asked, "Y-You're not going to hurt me, are you?"

"That depends," Batman said, in his best, threatening tone. "I want you to tell me everything you know about your boss, Mr. Janus."

**B&B**

"Mr. Janus," Alfred said thoughtfully. "An interesting name…."

"Assuming it's his real one," Bruce darkly muttered.

"Much like how Edward Nygma adopted the Riddler moniker," Olivia said. "You're thinking it's the same thing."

Bruce nodded. He sat at the massive computer console in the Batcave, surrounded by Alfred, Alex, Rachel and Olivia. "Someone who wants revenge against all of us would be wise to hide his identity before he's ready to make his move."

"It makes sense," Alfred agreed. "Especially seeing how several of Mr. Janus' henchmen have already been captured. By concealing his true identity from them, they can't reveal it to us."

Alex frowned in concentration. "Janus is something from Greek mythology, isn't it?"

"Roman mythology, actually," Bruce corrected. "He's the god of doorways, and gates--and usually symbolized beginnings and endings. He either has two heads, or faces, that gaze in the opposite direction of the other."

"But who is he, really?" Rachel asked. "That's what I want to know. He's spying on all of us--including Boss Thorne and Batman."

"We do know that he wants revenge," Bruce told her. "So it's somebody whom we've all crossed paths with before."

Olivia looked uneasy. "As much as I'd hate to even bring this up, but I've got to ask: you think it could be the Joker?"

"Oh, God, no!" Alex moaned. "Not _that_ maniac again…."

"I'm sorry hon," Olivia said. "But after all, they never did find his body."

Bruce shook his head. "Not his style, Liv. The Joker was always more…."

"Outrageous?" Alfred suggested.

"The term I was thinking was 'nuts,' Alfred, but I concede to your point," Bruce said with a slight smile. His smile abruptly faded.

"What is it?" Rachel asked. "What's wrong?"

"Something I just realized," Bruce said. "If this Mr. Janus is truly behind the killings at the Hartford Mansion, then he may have wanted Hartford dead because he wants to--"

Bruce suddenly looked away, unable to say it.

But Rachel spoke aloud his forbidden thought. "Mr. Janus wants the pleasure of killing me himself," she said flatly. "Jesus, Bruce, who _is_ this guy?! I've been wracking my brain, trying to remember anybody who I pissed off in the last few years--and I've got to tell you, the list is pretty long!"

"Dare I say, that since this Mr. Janus is spying on all of you," Alfred said somberly, "that Rachel may not be the only target of his wrath? One of Batman's Batdarts was found in Hartford's throat, was it not? Perhaps this was meant to implicate the Dark Knight...or it may also serve as a warning that he's coming for Batman, next."

"That's something I've considered as well, Alfred. He may well be gunning for all of us." Bruce reached over and gently squeezed Rachel's hand. "And you're not the only one who's been going over a list of enemies. I've been doing the same thing--but so far have been coming up with zilch."

"Let's all go over what we _do_ know," Olivia told them. "He calls himself Mr. Janus; he's been spying on all of us, and he wants revenge. What else?"

"His henchmen," Alex prodded her.

"Right," Olivia said, nodding. "Mr. Janus has recruited all of his henchmen through blackmail, by holding their prior convictions over their heads."

"Which means he has some sort of inside access to the legal system," Bruce interjected. "But why would he call himself Mr. Janus?"

"Perhaps the name is a reflection of who he is," Alfred said.

"Or what he looks like?" Alex proposed.

Olivia frowned at her. "You seriously think the guy has two faces?"

"After seeing them haul Killer Croc into court today, Liv, anything is possible!" Alex shot back.

"Oh, dear God," Bruce whispered, as the revelation struck him head on. It was so shocking, it felt like being hit with a sledgehammer. "How could I be so stupid?"

"What?" Olivia asked, looking fearful. "What is it?"

"Think about it, Liv," Bruce said, as he got out of the chair and went towards the area where the Batsuit was stored. As he spoke, he quickly got dressed. "Who do we know who has access to criminal records? Who do we know who's had a mental breakdown recently--a breakdown that's been caused by an assault which left _half _of his face scarred?"

"Sweet Jesus, Bruce," Olivia murmured, looking stunned. "You don't think Harvey Dent's behind of this, do you?"

"It does add up," Alfred said grimly.

"No," Rachel said, shaking her head. "No way! What sort of grudge could Harvey have against all of us that would make him kill people?!"

"That's the very question that I intend to ask him," Bruce replied sharply. Now fully clad in the Batsuit, he pulled the cowl down over his head. He started running up the steps towards the Batwing--until Rachel called to him.

"What if you're wrong?!" she cried. "What if you go barging into Harvey's house and it turns out he's innocent?!"

"Then I'll give him my sincere apologies," Batman curtly replied, as he resumed running up the steps. A few seconds later, they all heard the twin turbine engines of the Batwing roar to life.

They all stood silently for several seconds, still stunned at what just occurred. Until Alex, who still sounded rattled, said, "The Dark Knight, apologizing? Boy, that's something I'd pay to see!"

**B&B**

"Mr. Dent," Moria said, as she watched him enter the house, "you've been out all day! I received a call from Doctor Furlong, he told me you missed your appointment, today."

"Did I?" Harvey said, shaking his head. "Damn it! Sorry, Moira, I've completely forgotten all about it. Did you re-schedule?"

"No," Moira said. The young Irish woman had worked as a nurse/assistant for Harvey for several weeks, now--since he had been released from the psychiatric hospital--and was very adept at her job. "I'd thought I wait and see what you had to say, first. What time would be good for you?"

"First thing Monday morning?" Harvey asked. He put his jacket away in the hallway closet. "Around nine, ten?"

"Very well, I'll call him back now," Moira said, as she went to the phone. "May I ask where you were all day? You really should be resting, you know."

Harvey let out a sigh. "You're right, as always, Moira. But since I got back into town, I've been meaning to--"

Harvey stopped once he got a look at the horrified expression on Moira's face as she stared out the window. When he glanced outside, Harvey saw an amazing sight.

Illuminated by the full moon, the Batwing hovered in the night sky just above the front lawn of Harvey's spacious estate.

'He knows,' a dark voice spoke up from deep within the shadows of Harvey's mind. 'You now have a decision to make….'

As the Batwing descended for a landing, Harvey thought about his options. Then he took out his coin. 'Heads, we continue the charade and play it dumb,' he thought. 'And tails…well, if it's tails…then the dance begins.'

He flipped the coin up in the air and caught it in his hand.

"Mr. Dent, what's going on?" Moira asked excitedly. "Is that Batman? Why's he landing on your property?"

Harvey glanced down at the coin.

It was tails.

"And now the fun really begins," he said, his voice taking on a deeper edge.

Moira stared at him with growing concern. "What do you mean? What are you doing?"

Harvey pulled out his gun and held it to the terrified young woman's face as he grabbed her roughly by the back of her neck. "You and me, Moira, we're gonna prepare a nice little welcome for the Dark Knight…."

Moira let out a horrified scream as Two-Face dragged her into the darkened bedroom.

**To Be Continued...**


	5. Chapter 5

_I'd like to thank FutureForensic (thanks very much), Barbarossa Rotbart (hi; wondering where you went to!), piecesofyourheart (glad to keep you on the edge of your seat), RebelByrdie (the night is still young in Gotham!), D.J. Scales (doesn't matter where you post, as long as you're here), TheOldMan (always appreciate your thoughtful, concise comments), and npollock90 (don't worry; it will continue). _

_Thanks to you all for taking the time to write. _

_Please excuse the reposting; I wanted to fix a damn typo--thanks FutureForensic for spotting it! _

**Batman & Benson 3**

**Chapter Five**

"Land now," Batman spoke into his gauntlet.

He stood off to the side of Harvey Dent's house, hidden in the foliage, while he watched the Batwing land on automatic pilot as per the command he gave via radio. He had gotten out of the aircraft earlier, while it was far enough away from the house not to be seen. Batman didn't want to take any chances that he might have been walking into a trap--so as the Batwing made a grand show of landing on the front lawn, attracting the attention of Harvey and whoever else was inside, Batman attempted to sneak into the house through a side door.

He stopped short when a man's voice called out, "Good evening, Batman."

Batman spun around and found himself staring at Harvey Dent, who stood by a tree on the lawn, flipping a coin in his hand. He didn't get the plastic surgery done yet; one side of his face was still hideously scarred from the acid attack.

"Hello, Harvey," Batman warily replied. His eyes darted about, looking for a trap. But as far as he could tell, there was none. "Long time no see."

"Looking for me?" Harvey asked casually. His voice sounded deeper, rougher, than usual. "Or Mr. Janus?"

'Talk about getting right to the point,' Batman thought. "Looks like I found the both of you right here. Why did you do it, Harvey? Why did you cause so much pain? For what purpose?"

"My dear Batman," Harvey said, grinning broadly. "My name is now Two-Face, and as far as causing pain is concerned: I'm just getting started…."

Batman was startled by the sound of glass shattering. When he glanced at the house, he saw that it was on fire. Flames shot out of a window that had exploded from the heat within. "Harvey, what did you do?"

"I realized that life was about choices, Batman," Two-Face said, as he continued flipping the coin in the air. "Everything in life hinges on the decisions we make--big and small--every single damned day. Take this moment, for instance; _you_ have a decision to make. Should you try and take me in, or should you rescue the girl?"

'Dear God,' Batman thought, once he heard the terrified screaming coming from within the burning house. "Where is she, Harvey?"

"You're the master detective, Batman," Two-Face taunted, "you can figure that out. But you better hurry; because time's running out."

When Batman saw part of the roof of the house collapse, he realized that Harvey was right--he didn't have much time to save the girl. "Understand something, Harvey--"

"I've told you that my name is now Two--"

"I don't _care _what your psychotic little fantasy name is!" Batman roared, cutting him off. "Because of our past, I'm giving you a grace period, Harvey. Be smart, and use it to turn yourself in. If you don't, we _will _meet again--and I guarantee you, our next meeting won't be very pleasant!"

"I'm already looking forward to our next meeting, Batman!" Harvey called after him as Batman ran towards the burning house. "And be sure to give my regards to Rachel, Jim, Olivia and the others…while you're still able to, that is!"

Batman grimaced at the not-so-subtle threat in Harvey's words. As much as he hated to let Harvey go, he couldn't ignore this poor woman; the house was already caving in, thanks to the inferno that was ablaze within. Batman only hoped he didn't wait too long. He gained access into the fiery house by smashing through one of the patio doors.

The woman let out another horrified scream, and Batman was glad; for it helped him to find her. She sounded like she was at the far end of the hallway. He ran past shooting jets of flame and entered what appeared to be the master bedroom.

The young woman lay bound hand and foot on the bed. Clad in slacks and a simple blouse, she looked like a house servant--one who happened to be unlucky enough to be working for Harvey right now. There was a roar behind him, and Batman turned to see that the flames had collapsed the doorway, blocking his exit route.

'Gonna have to make another exit,' he grimly thought. Grabbing a heavy chair, he threw it through the nearest window. Then he picked up the terrified young woman--who was still tied--and slung her over his shoulder.

The bedroom was on the ground floor, so it took little effort for Batman to jump through the window and land on the grass. He moved to a safe distance from the house--which was now nothing more than a burning pile of sticks--and placed the woman on the ground.

The woman was coughing as Batman cut her bonds with a Batdart. "Are you all right?" he asked her.

She nodded, looking up at him with a mixture of gratitude and awe. "I've just been rescued by the Batman," she said, in a lilting Irish accent. "Me mum back home will never believe this!"

Batman gently patted her shoulder as he gazed over where he left Harvey. He had been half hoping to see him still standing there. But of course, Harvey was gone.

'If he's dumb enough to not turn himself in, then I'll find him,' Batman swore. 'And when I do find Mr. Two-Face, that acid assault he suffered will feel like a love-tap after _I'm_ done with him!'

**B&B**

'Sweet, very sweet,' Robin thought, as he dropped the kickstand with his foot and got off of the motorcycle. His ride was a BMW HP2 Sport, which Robin had 'borrowed' from Bruce Wayne's garage. Since Bruce had so many vehicles--both cars and motorcycles--in his vast garage, Robin figured he wouldn't miss this bike right away. Besides, he should have it back in place, fully gassed up, before anybody did miss it.

Robin let out a heavy sigh as he glanced around his once familiar surroundings. The circus grounds were now deserted, with only a few empty tents and discarded trailers left behind. The place that the Grayson family had considered home now lay abandoned in the field like a decaying corpse that had been left exposed to the elements.

Robin really had no idea as to where to begin his investigation, so he figured he'd might as well return to the scene of the crime. Yet even if this place was just a ghost of its former self, it still felt eerie for Robin being back here, walking along the bare bones of the old midway--which was now as quiet and lifeless as an archeological dig.

Robin was puzzled when he came to a trailer that had a massive dark spot on its side. Then, on closer examination, he realized the dark spot was actually dried blood.

'Of course,' he thought, 'Harold Grantee--this was his trailer…this was where he was shot.'

Robin went up to the door and found it locked. There was police 'crime scene' tape stuck to the surface. Robin decided to use a little friendly persuasion on the door.

He kicked it in.

Entering Grantee's trailer, Robin saw that the lights were still working, so he turned them on. The place was a mess, indicating that Grantee had been in fact a bachelor. Robin had never been in here--not many of the circus performers had; Grantee had a separate office where he dealt with them and the outside world. His trailer was his home, a place Grantee considered to be his sanctuary, and very few people within the circus had been inside.

Robin was about to start searching through the files on Grantee's desk when he heard voices from just outside the trailer.

'They're coming inside!' Robin thought, as he quickly ducked down and took cover just behind the counter that separated the living room from the kitchen. Robin braced himself for a fight.

"Look at this, Artie," a man's voice said with disgust. "I was right, somebody did break in here after all! Damned kids!"

"What a disgrace," Artie muttered. "But then, what happened to this circus was a disgrace…."

"Nah, I tell you, Artie, what happened to the circus was just a result of that poor family's death, you know?"

"Those acrobats? Yeah…Lenny really bit off more than he could chew there, didn't he?"

"I told him, Artie, I sez to Lenny, 'Lenny, you work for the devil, you gonna get burned,' you know? But that dumb schmuck, he wouldn't listen to me, right? And those poor acrobats died, and look at what happened, now!"

"Yeah. Hey, you wanna hit Pete's before going home?" Artie asked.

Robin was so engrossed in their conversation that he was startled when it abruptly ended.

'Damn it, they left!' he thought, standing up from behind the counter. He saw that he was once more alone in the trailer. The lights had even been turned out.

Robin ran to the doorway, and let out a whispered curse when he glanced around and realized that the men were nowhere to be seen. 'They were talking about my family…and a guy named Lenny. Where the hell did they say they were going? Pete's?'

When Robin ran towards the BMW, he mounted it, swept the kickstand back up and started the engine all in one fluid motion. 'Pete's sounds like a local dive,' he thought, as he aimed the bike towards the street. 'If it's in the area, I'll find it…and then maybe those boys and I can resume our conversation….'

**B&B**

'He saw me….' Barbra thought. 'He actually looked right at me!'

She lay on her bed, tightly cuddled up with Mr. Googly, her wide, unblinking eyes staring up into the darkness. She was so mortified at having been seen by the Batman that Barbra came straight home and went right to bed.

She kept replaying the scene in her mind, of the puzzled look that Batman gave her when she first saw him. And then Barbra cringed when she recalled her overly hysterical reaction.

'Jeez, I acted like a total nerd!' she thought, as she rolled over on her side, clutching Mr. Googly close to her chest. 'What must he think of me? It can't be very good….'

Although she had met Batman before--he saved her life when she, Olivia and Alex had all been abducted by the Joker and Harlequin--it had been Barbra's fantasy to meet the Batman once again, but on equal terms; as fellow crime fighters whose paths had crossed in the middle of a case, like on a roof top. This had basically happened just now, and instead she had reacted like a screaming, gawky fan girl at a boy band concert.

'Oh, God, Barbra, you are such a dweeb!' she thought. She picked up Mr. Googly, stared at him right in the eyes, and said, "You'd think it'll be better if I changed my superhero name to Dweebgirl?"

Filled with embarrassment, Barbra buried her face in the teddy bear's fluffy stomach. Before she knew it, she was fast asleep.

**B&B**

"Great Hera, Superman," Wonder Woman said softly. "What you're proposing is…it's…." She merely shook her head, unable to put her thought into words.

Kal-El smiled. "Crazy?"

"No," she quickly said. "It's…well, it's certainly an audacious plan, to say the least."

They stood on a forested plateau just outside the Metropolis city limits. Kal-El could still see the massive globe on top of the Daily Planet building, which was spectacularly lit up for the evening, even from this distance.

"It's not that I didn't enjoy meeting Green Lantern and the Flash for the first time today," Kal-El said. "But I couldn't help but wonder if our resources would have been much better utilized. I mean, the three of us responded to a situation that either one of us could have easily handled, and the only way to do something like that, to organize our resources, is to form a group."

"A superheroic army?" Wonder Woman asked.

"No," Kal-El firmly replied. "A league, if you will. A Justice League."

Wonder Woman smiled faintly at him. "Sounds like you've been giving this a lot of thought."

"Since last year, when Kara and I teamed up with the Batman to rid Gotham City of those robots," Kal-El said. "Afterwards, a police inspector named Olivia Benson came up to us and suggested that we form some sort of team. The Justice League name was actually her idea. But I've been giving it a lot of thought since then, especially recently. What do you think of this, Diana?"

"I like it," she said with a nod. "But we must have some very clear rules of engagment. Would we be a group that strictly performs only search and rescue? Or do we also fight crime, as well? And, if so, then how far do we go in our investigations? What would our jurisdiction be? Also, the members: how much autonomy will they have outside of the group? I assume the members of the League would still be free agents?"

"Looks like I wasn't the only one thinking about this idea," Kal-El replied, grinning broadly.

Wonder Woman gave a shy shrug. "I'll admit, that, with all of the superheroes that have appeared lately, I have also been thinking about some kind of group, as well. I'm glad you were the one who brought it up, Superman. It will be good to have you leading it."

"I'd like to _help _lead it," Kal-El amened. "Along with you, and several other people. Instead of one leader, perhaps the League should have a council, with each council member getting a vote in how things go."

"The more I hear about this, the more I like it," Wonder Woman said, smiling. "Who would be your choice to be on the first Justice League council?"

"Other than the two of us? I was thinking of having the Flash and Green Lantern."

Wonder Woman nodded. "Excellent choice. I'd like to nominate Hawkman and Hawkgirl. I've worked with them several times, and they're very good."

Kal-El had heard of the Hawks, but never met them. Yet if they were good enough to impress Wonder Woman, then that was good enough for him. "Fine. There's a problem, though. If all of these nominees agree to join the Justice League council, we'll have an even number--which would make it tough for the voting."

"You got anybody else in mind?"

Kal-El nodded. "Yes. Batman."

Wonder Woman's stunned expression was almost comical. "Him?! But isn't he a vampire?"

Kal-El couldn't help it; he burst into laughter.

"Did I say something funny?" Wonder Woman said, with a slight frown.

That response only served to send Kal-El on another laughing fit. Diana Prince was one of the most noble, selfless people whom Kal-El ever had the pleasure of knowing, and yet there were times--like now--when the regal Amazon princess that she truly was came out in full view. In her own way, she was so innocent it was charming.

"Well, they _say_ he only comes out at night," Wonder Woman muttered, sounding out of sorts. "That's what made me assume that he was--"

"He's human, Diana, trust me," Kal-El said, once he ceased laughing. "In fact, Batman doesn't even have any powers."

"No super powers at all? You sure you even want him on the team?"

"He may not have any superpowers, but that doesn't mean the Batman isn't an extraordinary man," Kal-El told her. "And not only would I think he'd be perfect for the team, but he'd be the very thing we'd need: somebody to keep us honest."

Wonder Woman looked impressed. "In that case, Superman, I can't wait to meet him."

**B&B**

Alex sat in the living room with Olivia and Rachel. Alfred had set out a nice spread for them of tea, cookies and even little slices of various cakes--yet neither of the women had partaken in any of the snacks. Olivia had absently taken a cup of tea for herself, yet only drank it halfway before putting the cup down. Rachel didn't touch anything.

Alex realized that they were as nervous as she was about this situation. They were all eagerly awaiting for Bruce to return home with news of his confrontation with Harvey Dent. Rachel had mentioned the whole thing was probably a mistake, and was expecting Bruce to be talking about how he apologized to Dent when he got back. Olivia agreed that this must be some sort of mix-up on Bruce's part. It was hard for the both of them to accept that Harvey Dent could be Mr. Janus.

But Alex knew better. She had inadvertently saw a dark side of Harvey Dent just before he was assaulted with the acid by Herbert Laughlin on that fateful day. Alex had met with him for a job as the DA for the Gotham City Special Victims Unit, and Dent had made a disgusting joke to her about how Alex, who had served in the same capacity for the NYPD's SVU, must know a lot of "juicy rape stories."

After Dent had been struck by the acid, a secret part of Alex was almost grateful. Although she never dared to mention this to Rachel--or even Olivia--Alex was glad to see Dent be removed as Gotham City District Attorney. As much as Alex didn't wish any harm to befall Dent, that glimpse of Dent's real face behind his normally placid mask made her extremely happy to see that he was gone from the picture.

She had hoped that Dent would get psychiatric help while he convalesced from the acid attack. And yet when she heard that Dent had a nervous breakdown, Alex was sorry to admit that she wasn't truly surprised. And now, while she understood the disbelief over this situation expressed by both her lover and her boss, Alex herself really had no trouble believing what Harvey Dent was capable of. Still, out of respect for Olivia and Rachel, Alex kept these dark musings to herself.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Alfred strode into the living room and announced, "Master Bruce has returned."

Alex almost smiled at the mad dash that she, Rachel and Olivia did as they all raced to get to the Batcave. Alfred followed behind at a more leisurely pace. They all rode the elevator down to the main platform and found Bruce, already stripped of his Batsuit, sitting at the computer console wearing a t-shirt and jeans.

"Harvey is indeed Mr. Janus," he told them with a resigned air. "He was practically waiting for me to show up."

As he told them of his encounter with Dent--who now proclaimed himself to be Two-Face--Bruce was busy searching the computer for all known property that Dent owned. "He burnt down his own house, nearly killing the poor woman who worked as his nurse, just to divert my attention," Bruce said. "Now, I'm trying to see where else he could be hiding out."

"He also had a condo in the city, didn't he?" Olivia said.

Bruce shook his head as he regarded one of the computer screens. "Not anymore, Liv. He sold it shortly before he returned to Gotham City."

"We lost him," Alex said softly. When everyone regarded her with wide-eyed shock, she just shook her head. "He's killed people now, and the fact that he burned down his own home--his last tie to Gotham City--only tells me that the Harvey Dent we knew is now long gone."

"I gave him a chance to turn himself in," Bruce grimly told all of them. "Call me cynical, but I'm not really counting on Harvey doing that. I think Alex is right, he's too far over the edge, now. I fully expect I'll have to hunt him down, and when I do, I won't treat him any different than the other psychos whom I've squared off against."

Alex noted that poor Rachel looked shocked. "Why the hell would he do this?" she asked. "He's supposed to be out for veagance--but why? What did any of us do to him?"

"How can you explain, or rationalize, an irrational mind?" Alfred replied.

"Good point," Bruce said somberly. "We've all seen our fair share of psychos, like the Joker. And the one consistent thing I can say about all of them is that they can be very _inconsistent_ in their motivations."

Bruce then reached out and caressed the side of Rachel's face. "But whatever his motivation, Harvey will be stopped. I won't rest until that's accomplished."

That appeared to ease Rachel's mind somewhat. Yet Alex couldn't help but still feel depressed at the fact that one of their own--a friend they all once knew and respected--had turned bad to the point where he killed people. Alex couldn't help but wonder if she were to blame, if there was something she could have said or done to prevented this nightmarish situation from happening.

Alex's dark thoughts were disrupted when a voice softly said, "Hey…."

She glanced up and saw that Olivia had come over and stared at her with concern. Alex was further surprised to see that she and Olivia were presently alone in the Batcave. Apparently, she had been so caught up in her somber ruminations that Alex did not notice everybody had left--save for Olivia.

"You ok?" Olivia asked.

Alex was about to give her a neat little platitude, until she realized that she didn't have the heart for it.

"No," Alex truthfully responded.

Olivia simply held her arms out, and Alex gladly fell into her embrace. From a practical standpoint, a hug from your lover may not solve all of the problems in life, but it sure as hell felt very good.

And it was just what Alex needed right now.

**B&B**

Robin had gotten lost less than a block away from the abandoned circus grounds. Not knowing the area, he kept staring at the signs of the various businesses along the avenue--most of which were closed at this late hour. None of the places were named Pete's. Cursing under his breath, he turned the BMW around and headed back. When he did so, a young boy walking with his mother excitedly pointed at him and said, "Mom, look, a superhero!"

'In your dreams, kid,' Robin thought grimly, as he raced away on the BMW before they could get a good look at him. 'If you only knew what I'm planning, you wouldn't call me a hero….'

Figuring that Pete's had to be within the neighborhood around the circus grounds, Robin started back where he was. He parked the BMW where he originally had it and scanned the area, trying to determine where two guys on foot would go.

"There," he whispered, gazing at the waterfront, which stretched a block to the east. It was the only area Robin didn't check.

Heading over to that section, Robin found it: Pete's Shore Leave, a dive bar that faced the waterfront. He went back down the block and came around towards Pete's through a back alleyway, where he parked the BMW--which he hid under a tarp that he found.

As Robin approached Pete's, he wondered how he would handle the situation. He needed information, specifically the name of Lenny, the man who had something to do with the death of his family. Instead of barging in, which was what he wanted to do more than anything else, Robin decided to take a different tactic.

Pete's was located inside what looked like an old, converted warehouse. Robin jumped up onto the fire escape and entered through the second story window, which had been left open. Emerging in a storage room, Robin peered ouft the door and saw that the bar was located on the ground floor. Robin could hear a group of men talking below; they sounded like they were having an animated conversation.

He stood on a catwalk that ran in front of the storage room. In front of him were a maze of support beams that held the roof up. Robin smiled when he saw them. They would be perfect.

Gripping the catwalk railing with both hands, Robin somersaulted over to the nearest horizontal beam, where he deftly landed on both feet and one hand.

'Once an acrobat, always an acrobat,' he thought. The new suit also worked very well; it felt as comfortable as a second skin.

It was now just a simple matter of carefully walking along the length of the beam until he was standing directly over the men who he overheard earlier. Dressed in ratty-looking clothes, they appeared to be greatly down on their luck--although they had enough money to buy themselves drinks. They sat at a table--the only customers in the bar--while the bartender strode around, cleaning up.

"To Lenny!" one of the men said, holding up his drink as if in a toast.

The other man clinked his glass of booze with his buddy. "To Lenny! May he rest in peace…."

'He's dead?!' Robin thought, alarmed. 'Oh great...'

"Lenny was a hell of a guy!" one of the men said, growing sad.

The bartender waved his hand. "Lenny was an idiot."

"Don't speak ill of the dead, Larry!" one of the men chided him.

"An idiot is an idiot, whether he's dead or alive," Larry told them. "And Lenny was the biggest idiot around these parts. I mean, what was he thinking, accepting a job like that, anyway? He killed an entire family, for crissakes!"

"He only pre-cut the ropes on the safety net. That's all he did!"

"Which wound up killing that acrobat family," Larry said, shaking his head. "And for what? Fifty grand? Did Lenny see a dime of it? No, because he's dead, right? I told you guys, time and time again, that Boss Thorne always had a habit of killing his hitmen. He hires dumb lugs like Lenny, promises them the moon for doing the hit, and then snuffs them after the job is done. That's why it's so hard for the cops to trace anything back to him."

"I guess the moral of this story is that working for Rupert Thorne is detrimental to your health," one of the men at the table said softly.

"Just being in the same room as Boss Thorne is bad for your health," Larry said, with a weary sigh. "Come on, you mugs, I'm closing up, here. Finish your drinks."

What followed was a prolonged argument between the bartender and his last two customers over extending the bar's hours. But Robin was no longer listening. He had gotten what he came for.

'The man who cut the ropes is dead,' Robin thought, as he jumped back onto the catwalk and slipped back into the storage room. 'But I now know the name of the bastard who ordered the death of my family is, Boss Thorne.'

Once he arrived on the ground, he pulled the tarp off of the BMW, but before he could mount it, Robin heard a man say, "Hey, nice ride!"

Robin turned to see two men, looking to be in their early twenties, slowly walk up to him. One of them held a heavy pipe in his hands.

"Hope you don't mind if we borrow it from ya, huh?" the other man said with a sneering smile. "Like, forever..."

Robin, growing enraged, went on the attack. He belted the man who spoke across the face, knocking him down to the ground. Once he landed, Robin kicked him in the stomach.

The other guy with the pipe came over and took a swing at Robin. Yet he was prepared, and ducked at the last second, the pipe swinging through the air just above where his head was. Robin kicked the man in the stomach--then rose up and punched him in the face.

The man also fell to the ground, the pipe clattering at his side. Robin, still enraged, picked up the pipe and made to bash the fallen man's brains out with it--but he stopped himself. He dropped the pipe next to the prone man. 'Save it,' he told himself, 'save it for Thorne.'

As he got on the BMW, Robin darkly thought, 'There's really only one thing left to do now: find Rupert Thorne, and kill him.'

The BMW raced down the darkened streets--and the roar of its engine seemed to match the fury within the heart of its rider.

**B&B**

"I don't understand, Bernie," Ellen said. "Just tell me what's wrong!"

"It's better for you and Darleen that you don't know," Bernard replied. They stood on the stoop of her apartment building. "It's better for the both of you that you just forget about me, ok?"

"You're in some kind of trouble, aren't you?"

'Baby, you have no idea,' Bernard thought sadly. "Just keep your distance from me, Ellen."

As he turned to walk away, she shouted after him, "Don't you love me, anymore?!"

Bernard stopped, and without looking over his shoulder, said, "Yes, I love both you and Darleen with all my life. That's why I want you to stay away from me."

"Sweet Jesus, Bernie, whatever it is, we can work it out!"

Bernard thought of the dead servants in the Hartford Mansion, several innocent people who had been savagely killed because of him. He glanced up at Ellen. "Not unless you can bring back the dead," he whispered. "Goodbye, Ellen."

She merely stood there, staring at him in shock, as he walked away.

When he arrived at his car, which was parked across the street, Bernard let out a heavy sigh. Bernie was startled when he noticed there was somebody seated in the passenger seat of his car.

It was him.

He sat casually with the windows rolled down, one side of his face hideously scarred, and clad in a bizarre suit. The suit had two completely different colors on both sides--one side was a neat dark blue suit with a magnetic red power tie, while the other was a shabby brown suit with a mismatched yellow tie. The tie was both colors, split down the center; as was the suit, which corresponded with the man's split face.

"I've got to say, Bernie," he said, as he continuously flipped that damn coin in one hand, "that was a real tender moment."

"What are you doing here?" Bernie angrily asked him.

Two-Face glanced down at the coin in his hand. Then he pulled out a gun and pointed it right at Bernard's face. "I'm going to blow your head off, right here, and then I'm going to pay a little visit to your girlfriend and her daughter and do the same to them. Would you like that, Bernie?"

Bernard feared more for the lives of Ellen and Darlene than he did his own. "No, please, wait…."

"You don't want me to kill you, Ellen and Darlene?" Two-Face asked.

"No, I beg you, just leave them be, please! I have nothing more to do with them!"

"If you want them to continue living, then maybe you should treat me with the proper respect, Bernie!"

"Yes," Bernard quickly agreed. "Yes, you're right. I'm sorry, Two-Face. I am so very sorry. You-you scared me, sitting in my car like that, in the dark. I-I was caught off-guard, you know, and--"

Two-Face lowered the gun. "Shut up and get in."

Letting out a sigh of relief, Bernard got in and started the car. He wanted to get this madman away from Ellen's house before he changed his mind.

As Bernard drove down the street, Two-Face said, "You think you saved her, didn't you, Bernie? You think you saved them both by breaking it off with her, huh? Well, you didn't."

"What do you mean?"

"You now full well what I'm talking about, Bernie. It doesn't matter if you broke it off with Ellen, because if you act out of line again, she and little Darleen will _still _suffer the consequences, understand?"

'Oh, dear God, what did I do to wind up with this madman?' Bernard thought.

"Yes, Two-Face, I understand," he quickly replied. "Uh, may I ask a question?"

"Sure, Bernie, go right ahead."

"Why were you here, waiting for me in my car, anyway? Has something happened?"

Two-Face grinned broadly, which made the scarred side of his face look even worse. "You can say that, Bernie, my man. Batman happened."

"Batman?"

"The Dark Knight paid me a little visit at my home tonight, Bernie. He knows everything. We can now drop the 'Mr. Janus' façade."

"Really?" Bernard hopefully said. "Then is this whole operation now cancelled?"

Two-Face laughed uproariously at that. "Yeah, you'd like that, wouldn't you, Bernie?" When they came to an intersection, he pointed to the right. "Turn here."

Bernard did what he was told. "Where are we going, if I may ask?"

"To the new hide-out, Bernie. I burned down my house during my little altercation with Batman."

"So the operation is gonna continue," Bernie said dejectedly.

"Not only is the operation moving on," Two-Face replied, "but we're going to take it up to a whole new level. By the time we're done, Bernie, we will have painted this entire town red…with blood!"

**To Be Continued...**


	6. Chapter 6

_I would like to thank RebelByrdie (always love your detailed criticism), futureforensic, D.J. Scales and piecesofyourheart for their reviews. Thanks again._

**Batman & Benson 3**

**Chapter Six**

Catwoman landed on the patio of the apartment that she shared with Holly, and she immediately knew something was wrong.

The lights were on.

Holly always--_always_--left the apartment lights out whenever Catwoman was out on the prowl. This helped to prevent anyone outside the apartment from seeing Catwoman as she entered her abode. Holly always remained in her bedroom with the door closed.

The fact that all of the lights were blazing were a sure sign that something was up. The patio door was left open, and when Catwoman carefully peered inside--what she saw only confirmed her suspicions.

Holly's bedroom door was wide open; the room beyond was darkened.

'Damn it,' Catwoman thought with a frown. Holly would never break their tradition--if she did, then it was a clear sign that something was dreadfully wrong.

Catwoman braced herself before she entered the apartment. She was obviously walking into a trap, but there was nothing she could do about it. Holly was the closest thing she'd had to a little sister, and Catwoman wasn't about to just leave her.

Catwoman strode in through the patio doors, making a show of throwing apart the curtains. And, sure enough, they came at her from both sides--

--which was just what Catwoman was expecting.

She stuck out her right leg and rammed it into the belly of a large goon, who doubled over in pain. She then slammed her left elbow into the face of the second goon, who let out a surprised grunt. They were both big bruisers, looking like hired muscle.

'Expensive hired muscle,' Catwoman realized, as she noticed their finely cut Gucci suits.

The man whom she had kicked fell face-down on the floor, out of the fight, while the man she had elbowed had sunk to his knees. He held his bruised nose with one hand, reaching for a gun with the other.

Catwoman swung around and gave him a vicious judo kick to the head, which instantly dropped him.

"All right, knock it off!" a female voice called out.

Catwoman glanced up to see a pretty young woman with sandy hair standing in the center of the living room. The woman, dressed in an elegant dark business suit, pointed a gun at Catwoman.

"You're as good as they say you are," she said with a slight smile. "But are you bulletproof, kitty?"

Enraged, the only thing Catwoman could do was back down…for now. "What do you want?" she snarled.

"Your services," the woman said. "Actually, my employer wishes to hire you to steal something for him."

"I don't hire my services out to people," Catwoman said flatly.

"You do, now," the woman told her, as she held up her cell phone to Catwoman. "Or else you can say goodbye to your friend."

Catwoman let out a hiss when she saw the cell phone contained a picture of Holly. She lay on a bed, her arms behind her back, with her mouth covered with tape. Holly stared up in wide-eyed fear at the cell camera as it took her picture.

"Ok," Catwoman quickly replied. "I get the point. What do you want me to rip off?"

"It's at Star Labs, here in Gotham City," the woman replied. She pointed to a computer disk on the table. "All the information you need is on that."

The two goons slowly got to their feet beside Catwoman. They each gave her a glaring look.

In response, Catwoman gave them a broad grin. "Don't tell me you boys didn't enjoy our little love tumble? Care to go another round?"

"Guido, Alphonse, get over here," the woman ordered, as she continued to aim the gun at Catwoman. "We're leaving."

Catwoman angrily watched as the goons walked over to the woman. There was little she could do, what with the bitch aiming the gun right at her--that and the fact they had Holly captive.

"If you hurt her," Catwoman calmly--but firmly--told the woman, "I will hunt you down and claw you to death, understand?"

"If you do your job, your friend will be returned to you, unharmed. And you will even receive a nice little monetary bonus." The woman smiled. "My employer can be very generous to those who do him favors."

"Your employer sounds like a _wonderful_ person," Catwoman sarcastically said. "What's his name?"

"That is for me to know, and for you to never find out," the woman replied, as she and the goons slowly and carefully backed out of the room. She still held the gun on Catwoman. "Do what is asked of you, and all will be set right."

"Like I have a choice?" Catwoman shot back. "What's _your_ name? I like to know who I'm dealing with."

"My cell phone number is on the disk. Call me when the job is done, and we'll set up a meet," she said. "As for my name, it's Mercy."

"Live up to your name, Mercy, and treat Holly decently," Catwoman said. "Or else I'll show no mercy with you."

Mercy smiled coldly at her. "Promises, promises…."

And then she and the goons were gone.

Now alone in the apartment, Catwoman picked up the computer CD. "Damn it, Holly," she sadly muttered. "I'm so sorry…."

**B&B**

The following morning, Rachel awoke sprawled out on her back in the massive bed. Letting out a groan, she quickly checked the time, until she realized with a smile that it was Saturday.

'Stay in bed day!' she happily thought, as she reached out for Bruce.

Rachel's frown dissolved when her hand wound up patting the empty mattress where a slumbering Bruce should be. Rachel sat up, her eyes still blinking from being half asleep, and saw that she was alone in the bed.

'How does he do it?' Rachel wondered. 'He went to bed the same time as me; he got about the same amount of sleep--four hours--and yet he _still_ gets right up at the crack of dawn!'

As she reluctantly got out of bed, Rachel let out an annoyed "Humph!" She stumbled out of the bedroom and into the hallway, absently rolling up the sleeves of her shirt so that her hands were uncovered. Rachel was clad in one of Bruce's dress shirts--which fit her like a dress, but if only the damn sleeves weren't so long!

She padded down the steps--then did a double take out the window at the two squad cars that were parked just outside the mansion's front doors.

"Good morning, Rachel," Alfred cheerily called to her. He carried a breakfast tray in his hands. "As you can see, we are being guarded by Gotham City's Finest."

"Oh, God, they're my police protection, aren't they?" Rachel moaned, as she continued her descent down the steps. "I recall Jim saying something last night about assigning them to me. But what are they doing on the grounds?"

"All the better to serve coffee and treats to them," Alfred told her.

"But what if Bruce…um, you know," Rachel said, lowering her voice to a whisper. "What if he has to leave on a special errand?"

Alfred smiled broadly at her. "My dear Rachel--and I say this with all due respect to the wonderful men and women of the Gotham City Police--but do you really think this lot out here could truly stop Master Bruce from doing anything? He could leave through the front door without them even knowing it."

Rachel smiled back at him. "Yeah, I see your point, Alfred." She nodded at the tray he carried. "Is that for them?"

"No, this is for Master Dick." Alfred's smile gave way to a concerned expression. "I'm afraid it appears he hasn't been to bed yet."

"Is he all right?"

"He appears well. If nothing else, he's keeping busy."

"What's he doing, now?"

Alfred gestured for her to come with him, and when Rachel did, she found Dick sitting at the computer in the main study. He stared intently at the screen, as if scrutinizing what the computer displayed for him. Rachel stood by the door while Alfred brought in the tray and placed it on the desk next to the computer.

"If there's anything else you need, Master Dick," Alfred said. "Please don't hesitate to call."

"Thanks a lot, Alfred," Dick said. Then he gazed right back at the computer screen.

"Morning, Dick!" Rachel called from the door.

"Hey, Rachel," he replied with a wave. "Morning!"

Rachel noted that Dick quickly turned his attention back to the computer. In fact, as Alfred strode out of the room, she saw that Dick didn't even bother to touch the food that was left for him.

As they walked down the hallway, Rachel asked, "You didn't happen to see what he was looking at, did you?"

Alfred nodded. "He was researching everything on Rupert "Boss" Thorne; his entire career, and the like."

Rachel thoughtfully stared at the floor as they walked. Then she said, "I assume Bruce is in the usual place?"

"You are quite correct. Shall I make you breakfast?"

"No, that's ok. I'm actually going to see if I can get Bruce to come back to bed."

"Oh, well, in that case," Alfred said with an impish smile, "best of luck to you, Rachel."

"Thanks, I may need it. Hey, where's Liv and Alex?"

"They left early," Alfred replied, as he headed towards the kitchen. "They had some errands to run in the city today."

"Am I the only one who knows how to spend a Saturday morning?" Rachel muttered, as she headed in the direction of the Batcave.

**B&B**

'There she is,' Bruce thought, as he gazed intently at the computer screen. When he first sat down before the computer console in the Batcave, he had been intent on researching everything he could about Harvey Dent. But that soon turned into an exercise in frustration. Harvey really covered his tracks too well. Wherever he was now, Harvey--a.k.a. Two-Face--was hiding very deep.

So he decided to look up whatever information he could find on the young Batgirl whom he encountered last night. He found a photograph of her from a newspaper's website. She was pressed up against a wall, her mouth hanging open in a startled expression, seemingly caught off guard by the photographer. The caption under the picture stated that this was the only photo of the mysterious "Batwoman" that could be taken before she fled the scene, using her "expert acrobatic skills."

'Interesting,' Bruce thought, as he regarded the young woman in the picture.

"You boys and your toys," a female voice said with a weary sigh.

Bruce turned to see Rachel walking up to him, still clad only in the shirt she wore to bed. "Dick has his nose pressed against a computer screen," she said, taking a seat on a stool next to him and playfully placing her feet on his leg. "And I come down here and find you doing the same…."

"Business before pleasure," Bruce said, as he gave her foot an affectionate rub. "Dick's awake already?"

"Alfred thinks he may have never went down," Rachel replied. "He's busy looking up Boss Thorne online."

That set off the alarm bells in Bruce's head. "Really? Damn…."

"It's no secret that the police suspect Thorne as being behind the murder of Dick's family, Bruce," Rachel said. "It's all over the news. Dick was bound to find this out sooner or later."

"I was hoping it would be later," Bruce curtly said. "Speaking of Dick's family, any news on that front, Rachel? Are they any close to getting Thorne?"

Rachel shook her head dismally. "Mr. Thorne covers his tracks far too well."

She glanced at the screen and asked, "Who's that?"

"Batgirl," Bruce replied. "I met her last night."

"Really? What's _she_ like?"

"Just a kid who's in way over her head. I was originally trying to dig up something on Two-Face…but, well, talk about a guy who covers his tracks far too well…."

"Alex really was right, wasn't she?" Rachel said softly. "We lost Harvey for good."

"I don't know if he's truly beyond saving, Rachel. But for now, I'm just trying to find a way to stop Harvey before he does anymore damage." He tossed his hands up. "But it looks like we'll just have to wait for him to make his next move."

"And what about this Batgirl? How will you deal with her?"

"I gave her a pretty good fright last night. Hopefully, that'll be enough to make her stay home from now on. But if I see her on the streets again, then I'll just have to really convince her--in the strongest way possible--that it would be in her best interest to retire."

Rachel nodded as she gently rubbed his leg with her bare foot. "So, since there's nothing more we can do right this instant, we might as well go back to bed, Bruce."

Bruce shook his head. "I'm not tired anymore, Rachel."

Rachel slowly removed her feet from his leg and stood up from the stool. She then leaned over him in the chair, and said, in a breathy whisper right into his ear: "Who mentioned anything about going back to sleep?"

"Oh, well," Bruce said, as a broad smile spread across his face. "Since you put it that way…."

**B&B**

In New York City, Assistant District Attorney Casey Novak awoke with a smile on her face. It was Saturday, and not only did she have the day off, but she could finally concentrate on a very important project that she had let slide all week.

Her superhero scrapbook.

After showering and getting breakfast out of the way, Casey sat down at her dining room coffee table with the scrapbook and several newspapers. She opened the newspapers and smiled when she saw the pictures of Superman. Actually, her reaction was more than just a smile; Casey felt a warm, radiant glow within her being every time she saw the Man Of Steel. If it weren't for him, she wouldn't be alive right now.

A year ago, when Casey was in Gotham City for a convention, Superman saved her life when debris from a blimp platform came crashing down towards where she stood on the street. Before she even realized what had happened, Superman had rescued her, along with Samantha Spade, by sweeping them both up in his arms and flying them out of harm's way.

That brief meeting with Superman had changed Casey in a profound way. She never took life for granted; instead welcoming every day, and its possibilities, with a newfound zeal. Casey had also become very close friends with Sam Spade since that day. And, Casey had turned into such a big fan of Superman that Elliot Stabler had often jokingly referred to her as being "a superhero groupie."

Many people distrusted the superheroes--like John Munch, who thought they were the result of genetic testing in a super secret government lab. Dani Beck, Elliot's partner (and lover), didn't like superheroes to the point where she didn't even want to talk about them. Casey's love and fascination with Superman--as well as other superheroes--was one of the things that Sam Spade shared with her, which only cemented the tight bond that was forged between them from the day they had been saved by Superman.

'Oh, wow,' Casey excitedly thought, as she looked over the pictures in the newspaper of Superman standing with the Flash and Green Lantern. 'I gotta get this one for the scrapbook!'

Lately, Casey's interest in superheroes had broadened to include the Batman (she _so_ envied Olivia!), as well as the others who have sprouted up all across the globe, including the bunch that have turned up right here in New York City over the past few months. It appeared that they were all living in some kind of golden age of superheroes; an age of special, compassionate people who inspired others just by their very presence.

After she carefully cut out the picture from the newspaper, Casey opened her scrapbook and searched for a good place for it. When he phone rang, she smiled when she saw it was Sam Spade.

"Hey, you!" Casey said into her phone.

"Hey, Case. I'm back in the City," Sam said.

"You are! Great!"

"Yeah, the case in Gotham City wrapped itself up very nicely, thanks to some help from Batman."

"Oooo! Did you meet him?!"

"No," Sam said, sounding dejected. "But I think Olivia called him in on the case for us."

"Really!" Casey replied, awed. Imagine having Batman on speed dial. Now she _really_ envied Olivia!

"Listen, you busy later?" Sam asked. "Can we have lunch? I'd love to tell you all about it."

"Uh, I'm meeting with Elliot and Dani later, but you're more than welcome to join us!"

"You sure that won't be a bother?"

"Not at all! You've met Elliot and Dani before, right?"

"Yeah, during the wild-killer-robots-from-hell police convention back in Gotham City," Sam said with a laugh. "It'll be good to see them again."

Casey gave her the time and place where they would be meeting. Then she called Elliot to let him know that Sam would be joining them. Neither Elliot nor Dani had any problems with that.

When the time came for their lunch, Casey got ready and then left the apartment. She strode down the bustling street, heading towards the outdoor café where she would meet her friends--anxious to hear about Sam's adventure in Gotham City.

A dark-haired woman further up the street let out a wild scream as she pointed at something in the sky. Casey glanced up and was stunned by the sight of Spider-Man, gracefully swinging through the canyons of buildings on his webs. He gave the crowd a little wave as he swung by.

Casey couldn't help but smile broadly. She'd read the rabid accusations about Spider-Man in the Daily Bugle, but didn't believe them. As far as Casey was concerned, the Wall Crawler appeared to be anything but a menace.

The dark-haired woman who had screamed before was now frantically running down the street in a mad dash to try and follow the web-slinger. "SPIDER-MAN," she cried. "I WANT TO HAVE YOUR BABY!!"

'Oh jeez….' Casey thought, shaking her head. 'Elliot may be right: I may be a superhero groupie…but at least I'm not _that _bad!'

Casey smiled as she arrived at the café and saw Elliot and Dani were already seated, and--as usual--were squabbling like an old married couple.

Elliot grinned at Casey, looking pleased for the respite from the argument. "Hey, there she is!"

"Hello, Casey," Dani cheerfully said in her Dutch accent. Then she glared at Elliot and muttered, "Don't think just because she's here that it means this little conversation is over, Stabler."

"Uh-oh, what have I walked into here?" Casey warily asked.

"Nothing," Elliot said with a wave. "Just bickering, that's all."

"We got a lead on the Mackenzie case," Dani told Casey. "But it looks like we may have to go out of town to interview a witness…in Gotham City!"

"And I've said that you didn't have to come with me," Elliot patiently responded. "I can always take Munch."

"Maybe you should," Dani replied, nodding. "Because I'm still not over my last visit there…that place is superhero central!"

Elliot abruptly frowned at something on the sidewalk. "Is that Sam Spade? What's she doing?"

Casey turned to see that it was indeed Samantha Spade who stood on the sidewalk in front of the café. The pretty blonde woman stared up at the sky--at least what little of the sky that she could see in-between the buildings.

"She reminds me of me when I first arrived in New York," Dani said, smiling. "I was staring up at the tall buildings so much my neck hurt!"

"Hey Sam!" Casey called, waving. "What are you doing? You look like a tourist!"

Sam burst into a sheepish grin as she came over to their table. "Yeah, I must look pretty silly." She stared up at the sky once more and added, "But I thought I saw something flying around up there."

When Casey glanced up, along with Elliot and Dani, all she saw was a clear blue sky beyond the edges of the buildings. Then Casey let out a gasp once she saw it: a long, green object that flowed like a ribbon between the buildings above them. "There! See it?"

"Yeah," Elliot said, disconcerted. "What is that, a kite?"

"If it is, it's a pretty big kite," Dani muttered.

"Ohmigod!" Sam cried, when a figure suddenly appeared in the sky. "You guys see that?!"

Casey watched the red and gold figure, who was propelled by some type of rockets on his boots, as it flew after the long green object.

Everybody at the café let out a startled, collective gasp when the green object abruptly swung around and struck the red and gold figure with its tail.

'It's tail?!' Casey thought, startled. She peered more intensely at the green object and realized that, not only did it have a tail, but it also had wings, four legs, and a large, reptilian head.

"Oh, dear God," Casey muttered softly, "is that what I think it is?"

"If you're thinking that's a dragon," Sam replied, as she continued to stare skyward. "Then, yeah, that's what it is! There's a giant green dragon flying over New York City!"

"Who the hell's that fighting it?" Elliot asked. "Superman?"

For a split second, Casey became excited at the thought that she was once more seeing the Man Of Steel in action--until she realized that the figure who battled the flying dragon in the skies above her wore a red and gold outfit that appeared to be so shiny, it reflected the sun. "No, that's not Superman," she said. "That guy's got rockets attached to his shoes."

"Is he wearing armor?" Sam asked.

"It looks like armor, doesn't--"

Casey was cut off when the entire café--patrons and staff alike--all let out a cry of horror. She glanced up and saw the dragon had shot a blast of fiery breath at the red and gold figure; the blow had apparently knocked him senseless, and he fell in a freefall straight to the ground.

Casey didn't know she had been holding her breath until she saw the armored man regain control barely a few stories above their heads. The rocket thrusters in his boots flared and, guiding with additional thrusters in the palm of his hands, the armored man soared back up towards the dragon, which was making its escape at supersonic speed.

Casey watched, awed, as the 'iron man' sped off in hot pursuit

"Oh, my God," Casey said, letting out a relieved sigh. She sat down at the table with Elliot and Sam. Dani had remained seated during the entire fight, an oddly peeved look on her face. "Who was that guy fighting the dragon?"

"I don't know," Sam said. "Anybody see him before?"

The answer to her question would never come, for their conversation was once more interrupted--this time by a low rumbling sound.

"What now?!" Dani asked, as she slowly shook her head in annoyance.

They jumped out of their seats when something large and green smashed its way through the brick wall across the street from them. It landed on the street, crushing the asphalt into a crater underneath.

Casey was stunned to see that it was a large green man. Barefoot and shirtless, he was clad only in pants--and he was a hulk: three times the size of an average man, this green monster had bulging muscles with a neck so thick that Casey would barely be able to get her arms around it.

But the startling thing about this crazy scene was, despite the fact that he had just came through a brick wall, the big green hulk got to his feet as if it were no big deal.

He raised his impossibly thick arms to the skies and let out a blood-curdling roar, causing most of the patrons at the café to abandon their tables in terror.

For their part, Elliot, Dani and Sam all pulled out their guns and aimed them at the hulking monster. But Casey wasn't sure if that would be enough to stop this creature if it attacked them.

Yet just before that could happen--and just when Casey thought this situation couldn't get any stranger--another giant man appeared in the hole in the brick wall that the hulk had smashed through. This giant man was roughly the same huge size as the hulking green figure--except his skin appeared to be covered with…orange rocks.

The big, orange rocky man stomped onto the street, turned towards the hulk, and said, "IT'S CLOBBERIN' TIME!"

Then Casey, along with the others, all watched--completely stunned--as these two titans tackled each other in the middle of the street. The blows they traded were savage, but neither of these behemoths appeared to be harmed by the punches. The hulk picked up a mailbox and threw it at the orange rocky guy, but it missed, and it sailed straight towards the café--

--right at Casey.

"LOOK OUT!" Elliot shouted, as he went to grab Casey's arm.

But both Casey and Elliot paused to see the mailbox crash harmlessly into the thin air right in front of them. It was bizarre; the mailbox actually crumpled, as if it hit a solid wall that was invisible.

Then Casey saw the woman.

She was young, with long blond hair, and clad in a skin-tight blue and black outfit with the number "4" stylishly placed on her upper chest. She stood holding her hands up, her face tight with concentration. And as the mailbox slid down an invisible wall right in front of her, Casey realized that this woman had somehow stopped it from hitting her and Elliot.

Once the mailbox hit the sidewalk, the young blond woman relaxed and lowered her gloved hands.

"Way to go, sis!" a man shouted.

Casey stared upwards and was further stunned to see a flaming man zoom past them in the air. His entire body was ablaze with fire.

"Johnny," the woman urgently called to him. "There are too many bystanders around here!"

"Don't worry, Sue," the flaming man replied, pointing with a fiery finger. "Ben's moving the fight to a new arena…."

'The big orange rocky guy's named Ben?' Casey thought, puzzled. She watched as he shoved the hulk back into the same building they had just blasted out from.

The human torch flew inside after them and the woman followed. Yet before she stepped into the gaping hole in the side of the building, the woman stopped to wave at somebody. "Reed!" she called. "Over here!"

"Excuse me," a man with graying hair politely said, as he literally stepped right over Casey and the others. Wearing the same outfit as the blond woman, the man stretched his legs to an unbelievably long length and strode right over the café, looking like a human daddy longlegs.

He condensed to regular human size as he and the woman quickly entered the building.

Casey stood dumbfounded, along with Elliot, Dani and Sam. The street was oddly quiet--save for the anxious chirping sounds of several car alarms in the distance.

Elliot glanced at the women and said, "Everybody all right?" When everyone nodded, Elliot took out his police radio to call it in--until he stopped.

"What's wrong?" Casey asked.

"I don't know what to tell them," Elliot said. "What the hell do I call this in as?"

"A superhero battle?" Sam suggested.

"Does the NYPD even have a call sign for that sort of thing?" Casey asked.

"No," Elliot told her. "But with the way things are going lately, we should!"

Dani abruptly burst out laughing.

"Something funny?" Elliot asked her.

Still chuckling, Dani shook her head. "Just thinking about our argument before, Elliot. Never mind; I'm coming to Gotham City with you."

He smiled at her. "You sure? I thought you said Gotham was superhero central."

"Well, as we've just seen, New York City has now become superhero central," Dani said with a sigh. "And after what we've just experienced, Gotham City should be a nice, quiet vacation."

"Well, I know this much," Casey told Sam. "I'm now gonna need a bigger superhero scrapbook!"

**B&B**

Later that night, James Gordon patiently waited by the Bat-signal on the wind-swept roof of Gotham City Police Headquarters. Despite the fact that he had an urgent matter to discuss with the Dark Knight, there was something more personal that nagged at him.

It was his daughter, Barbra.

Gordon didn't know when it happened, or why, but Barbra had changed. It was a very subtle change, but when he finally noticed it, Gordon realized that Barbra had become very secretive lately. When she wasn't hiding out in her room, the normally talkative Barbra had become very tight-lipped regarding hr personal life.

Gordon missed talking to her; he missed his conversation buddy. Just yesterday, he had wanted to confront Barbra, but his wife had stopped him.

"She's a teenager, Jim," she had said. "We've got to expect a change in her personality like this."

"But I just want to make sure she's not into anything bad," he told her.

"Believe me, she's not doing drugs, or anything like that," she assured him. "We just have to face the fact that our little girl is growing up."

And that fact was probably what bothered Gordon most of all, that the time had arrived when his little girl had become a woman. Although it was something that was inevitable, that still didn't mean that Gordon had to like it.

"Good evening, Commisioner," the voice said from the darkness.

Gordon was momentarily startled. "Jeez! I keep swearing that I won't let myself get spooked by your arrival, Batman. And yet you still scare me every time!"

The shadowy figure emerged in a crouching position on the ledge of the building. "If you must fight monsters, Jim, then you better get used to dealing with the unexpected. What's up?"

"Gothika State Prison had a jail break today," Gordon said. "One man escaped: Herbert Laughlin."

"Boss Thorne's old right hand man," Batman said thoughtfully.

"The very same. A team actually went in and broke him out. They blew out the East wall of the prison with a bazooka--damn near killed several guards in the process. I sent Bullock and Montoya to question Thorne, but he denies having anything to do with it, of course."

"He may very well be telling the truth, Jim," Batman said. "This sort of high-profile tactic doesn't suit Thorne's style. But it does track with everything's Two-Face has been up to, lately. Tell your people that they should start searching for a dead body."

"Harvey Dent would risk breaking the man who assaulted him out of prison just to kill him?" Gordon said with a frown. "That sounds crazy."

"Two-Face is out for vengeance, Jim--both real and imagined. Whatever he needs to do to accomplish his vengeanace makes perfect sense to him."

Gordon grimly nodded. When he got the police report of what happened at Harvey's house--his confrontation with Batman and the fact that he tried to burn the place down with his nurse still in it--he could hardly believe that it had been Harvey who was behind it all.

Batman must have sensed his reluctance to accept the situation, because he quietly added, "Harvey's over the edge, Jim. And the best way to help him now is to stop him."

"Then that's just what we'll have to do," Gordon said. He was distracted by a loud alarm that sounded off in the distance. Glancing to the north, he thought he saw a building abruptly light up. "That looks like the Star Labs building," Gordon said. He turned to Batman and said, "Wonder what somebody could find worth stealing from Star--"

Gordon stopped talking when he saw that he was now alone on the roof.

Batman was gone.

"He keeps getting me every time," Gordon muttered, as he switched off the Bat-signal. "You'd think I'd know better by now…."

**B&B**

Barbra sat up attentively when she heard her police radio give the burglary call at Star Labs. She had been surfing the net in her bedroom, but now she quickly shut down her computer.

'Could this be Catwoman?' Barbra wondered, as she dug her costume out of its hidden niche in the closet. 'If so, what would she be stealing at Star Labs? I thought she only stole stuff that was valuable.'

She slipped her long red hair through the slot in her cowl, then pulled the mask firmly over her face. As Barbra silently opened her window and slipped outside, she murmured, "Only one way to find out, I guess."

**B&B**

Olivia had been at home, spending a pleasant Saturday evening relaxing with Alex, and watching Jack Nicholson on TV try and solve a puzzling mystery in Chinatown. At least, that _was_ what they were doing…until Alex abruptly got a craving for croissants--and ice cream. Olivia was almost tempted to ask if Alex was pregnant, until she thought better of it. She promptly got dressed and went out to get the goodies for her lover, who promised to keep the video on pause until she came back.

Olivia retrieved the croissants from Gossamers' Bakery, and was on her way to the supermarket tog et the ice cream when the police call came over her dispatch radio. A burglary was taking place at Star Labs, and all units who were in the area were asked to respond immediately.

"Damn it," Olivia muttered. She was barely a block away from the laboratory. Although she was off duty, technically, Olivia was always on call.

She grudgingly drove over to Star Labs and--seeing how she was presently the senior officer at the scene--assumed command of the uniforms by having them set up a cordon around the building.

"Do we know what was stolen, yet?" she asked a burly sergeant.

"Something scientific?" he said with a shrug.

"Uh, yeah, that's real helpful…look, just keep the cordon in position until the Tactical Squad gets here," Olivia told him. "They'll clear the building. Do we have anybody from Star Labs here, yet?"

The sergeant shook his head. "They're still en route."

The Star Lab building continued to sound its unusual alarm, which concerned Olivia. She couldn't be sure if the burglary had set something deadly--like an experiment gone awry--loose in there. "Nobody goes in until we get the ok from somebody at Star Labs. Got that, Sergeant?"

He nodded. "Yes ma'am."

As Olivia walked back to her car, something in the night sky caught her attention. It was the Batwing. It glided silently over her, heading for the roof of the Star Labs building.

'Hope you know what you're getting into, Bruce,' Olivia thought with concern. 'For all we know, there might be some nasty toxins on the loose in there that might turn you into a real bat!'

When her cell phone rang, she answered it. "Benson."

"Where are you?" Alex asked, sounding annoyed.

Olivia could hear Jack Nicholson speaking in the background of the call. "Alex, are you watching the movie?"

"What--uh…no," Alex nervously said. In the background, Nicholson abruptly stopped speaking.

Olivia smiled broadly. "You might as well watch the rest of it without me, sweetie. I got a dispatch call."

When she explained the situation, Alex let out a groan. "But you're SVU, Liv! This isn't a sex crime."

"I know, I know, but I'm also the highest ranking officer here right now," Olivia explained, as she walked back to her car. "I'll gladly hand it over as soon as somebody equal, or above my rank shows up, ok?"

"All right," Alex replied, still sounding peeved.

She started to say something else, but Olivia never heard it. As she approached her car, she saw there was somebody hunched down in the rear seat.

"Alex, honey, I'll call you back," Olivia said, then switched off the phone.

Pulling out her gun, Olivia flung open the rear door. The car's interior light came on, and what she saw made Olivia gasp out loud in shock.

It was a young woman, all dressed up in a Batsuit, huddled down on the back seat floor of the car with her knees drawn up to her chest. She glanced fearfully up at Olivia.

"It's me, Olivia," she said in a meek little voice. "It's Barbra Gordon. Please help me…."

**B&B**

Herby just couldn't believe his luck. He woke up this morning in a narrow prison cell, looking at serving another ten years before he would even be considered for parole, and now he was a free man.

He strode through the abandoned nightclub, escorted by the very same group of brave guys who busted him out of jail. They said they were taking him to meet the boss.

Herby understood perfectly well. Boss Thorne couldn't very well receive Herby at his mansion--heck, the cops probably have the place under surveillance. He was just grateful that, after all this time, Boss Thorne didn't forget about him.

The men led him to the edge of an old stage where lounge acts once performed. One of them, whose name was Bernie, turned and said, "Wait here, the boss will be with you, soon."

"That's ok," Herby said. "I can wait all night, if need be. I just want Boss Thorne to know that I'll always be grateful to him for everything he's done."

Herby's good mood vanished once he saw who strode out on the stage. It was Harvey Dent, and one half of his face was still scarred from the acid that Herby threw at it about a year ago. Dent was clad in a weird looking suit that was two different styles, spilt down the middle, and he kept flipping a coin in his hand.

"You boys can go," he told the men. "Herby and I have a lot of catching up to do. Don't we, Herby?"

Before he left, Bernie turned to a shocked Herby and said, "I am _so_ glad I'm not you right now…."

**To Be Continued...**


	7. Chapter 7

_I'd like to thank FutureForensic, theoldman, D.J. Scales and RebelByrdie for their great words of encouragement. _

**Batman & Benson 3**

**Chapter Seven**

'Dear God,' Olivia thought, as she stared at Barbra, who sat on the floor of the back seat of her car, dressed as Batgirl.

She quickly put away her gun and leaned into the car so that she hovered directly over the distraught girl. "Barbra, what happened, honey? Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine," she replied, her chin tucked on top of her knees. Her arms were wrapped around her legs, which were pressed up against her chest. She looked like she was about to cry. "I'm just so embarrassed…."

Olivia reached out and gently lifted the girl's face so that their eyes met. "Talk to me, Barbra. What happened?"

"The place went into lock down, and there was nowhere for me to go!" she said. "The rooftop had all this barbed wire and stuff. And when I made it to the street, there were police everywhere! I didn't know where I could go, until I saw you. And I figured I could hide here in your car…I'm sorry, Liv."

"No, no--you did the right thing," Olivia softly said, as she rubbed the girl's shoulder. She shook her head in disbelief. "_You're_ the Batgirl whom the media keeps talking about? You've been going out, dressed like this, every night?"

"Yes," Barbra said, bursting into tears.

"Barbra…honey," Olivia said gently. "_Why?_"

"I just wanted to help him," Barbra said, crying. She removed the mask from her face so she could wipe the tears from her eyes.

"Help who? Batman?"  
"Yes, I just wanted to help him, Liv," she said, sobbing. "I feel so stupid. I _am_ stupid!"

"No, don't say that," Olivia told her, as she swept the weeping girl up in her arms. "Don't you ever say that. You're _not _stupid Barbra!"

"I just want to go home, Liv! I don't want anybody to see me like this. Please, can you help me?"

"Barbra, no, I can't--"

"Please, Olivia!" Barbra pleaded. "Just drive me home, that's all I ask."

Olivia shook her head. "I'm in charge of the Gotham City Police Special Victims Unit, sweetie. I'm sorry, but I must do what's best for you. So I can't--" Olivia glanced up and saw a familiar limousine pull up to the crime scene. "Oh, crap, your dad's here."

That started Barbra on a new crying jag. "I will _die_ if he sees me like this, Olivia! Please, please, _please _don't let him see me here, dressed like this. I'm begging you!"

"Barbra, stop--stop it, now," Olivia gently, but firmly, told her as they broke their embrace. She got out of the car and removed her jacket. "Now, here, I want you to put this on. You must be freezing."

Yet Barbra kept staring at Olivia with a tear-filled, pleading look as she helplessly knelt on the back floor of the car. "Olivia, please, I beg you…."

As Olivia held out her coat, she saw Gordon was walking over to her now. And, at that moment, something within Olivia melted.

Instead of making Barbra get out of the car to put on the coat, as she originally intended, Olivia promptly tossed the coat over the girl, covering her.

"Get down, and stay down," she told Barbra--who, now covered by the coat, quickly lay back against the floor.

"Thank you Olivia!" Barbra said, sounding muffled through the coat.

"Shhh! Just be still…and quiet." As she shut the door and went to meet with Gordon, a part of Olivia's mind screamed: 'What the hell are you doing, you crazy bitch?!'

"Olivia, fancy meeting you here," Gordon said with a smile.

"Yeah, I was just in the area when I got the call," she replied, hoping to God and all above that she sounded casual. Olivia couldn't help but be constantly reminded that she now spoke to her boss, whose daughter was presently in the back seat of her car. "Batman's here, as well. I saw him flying over."

"Inspector Benson?" the sergeant called. "The Star Labs guys have just arrived."

"Great! Bring them over." Turning to Gordon, she added, "We still don't know what the hell happened here, thanks to the facility having been placed on a complete security lock down. It looks like an automated system that won't let anybody in or out."

The sergeant led a trio of nervous-looking men in suits over to Olivia and Gordon. They introduced themselves as Larson, Watts and Greene, the chief administrator, head of security and lead researcher at the lab, respectively. Olivia introduced herself and Gordon.

"Your building went on lock down, gentlemen," Gordon said to the men. "Care to explain why?"

"The building is designed to do that in case an experiment ever goes wrong," Greene explained. "Every door, vent and window is sealed. This way, nothing toxic can escape to the outside."

"It's a little late in the evening to be doing an experiment," Olivia commented. She rubbed her arms against the chill of the evening.

"That just it, Inspector," Watts said. "We're not running any experiments right now. The laboratory is supposed to be completely shut down for the weekend."

"Could the alert have been set off by an intruder?" Gordon asked.

"No," Larson replied. "This is a very specific alert that's designed only for a failed experiment with a potential breach."

"Just what are you working on in there?" Gordon wanted to know. "Anything dangerous?"

"Just standard research into deep space exploration technology," Larson assured him. "It's nothing lethal, nor is it anything that would pose a threat to Gotham City."

"Your building doesn't seem to think so," Olivia said, as she gazed anxiously at the flashing lights all around the perimeter.

When Gordon saw Olivia rubbing her arms once more, he asked, "Pretty cold night to be out without a jacket, Liv."

"Yeah, uh, I was out getting something from the store when I got the call," she explained. "I wasn't expecting to be outside for a long period of time."

"Go home and warm up," Gordon told her. "I've got this."

"Thanks, boss," Olivia said, feeling guilty. She hated like hell to have to lie to him--yet Olivia couldn't quite bring herself to inform Gordon that she had his daughter wrapped up in the back seat of her car.

She strode back to her car and quickly got in and started it up.

"Is the coast clear, yet?" Barbra asked, her voice sounding muffled.

"No, just stay put until I tell you," Olivia muttered, as she drove away from the crime scene. She shook her head at this bizarre situation she had found herself in.

'First I inadvertently find out Batman's secret identity, and now I learn who Batgirl really is,' she thought. 'At this rate, maybe I should pay a visit to Metropolis and try my luck at guessing who Superman really is!'

**B&B**

Through the infrared camera on the Batwing, Batman saw her running across the rooftops. She ran furiously, as if she knew she was being chased. Yet he kept the Batwing far enough away from her as to not give away his position; Catwoman couldn't have known he was up here.

Finally, several blocks away from the Star Labs building, Catwoman came to a stop and wearily slumped down on the roof of an apartment building. She looked as if she had collapsed.

'Something's wrong,' Batman thought, as he brought the Batwing down close to the rooftop. He placed it in hover mode and opened the canopy.

Getting out, Batman ran across the rooftop, towards the slumped over Catwoman.

She heard him and when Catwoman glanced up at Batman, what he saw stopped him dead in his tracks.

Catwoman was crying.

"I-I couldn't help him," she said, sobbing. "All I could do was watch him die! And then…everything locked up on me, I couldn't even get to what I was going to steal…and now, I-I'm gonna lose Holly, as well!"

Catwoman reached up and fell into Batman's arms, where she bawled her eyes out against his shoulder.

Batman, stunned, awkwardly held her in his arms.

**B&B**

When they entered the security office of Star Labs, Watts accessed a console in the center of the room. He then spoke his name into a microphone and had his retina scanned for an ID. A computer screen then came to life, showing him a devastated area several floors above them.

"There's been some sort of explosion in one of the labs on Level 7," he told the group. "That area's completely contained; the rest of the building is clean."

"There," Larson said, pointing at a screen on the security console.

Gordon and the others watched the prerecorded events with morbid fascination as a man in a white lab coat began an experiment in the lab designated Level 7, just a few stories above them. He was working at removing some sort of extremely cold liquid from a large tank when the pipe ruptured, spilling the gassy liquid all over the lab.

The man tried to run away, but something off to the side had an averse reaction to the gas and exploded, igniting both the man and the lab in a blizzard-like whirlwind of cold.

That was when the automated alarm went off, causing the doors to seal themselves shut.

"Can we still reach him?" Gordon said urgently.

Larson shook his head sadly. "No, he was killed instantly. Besides, it'll be a while before we'll even be able to get inside that lab, anyway."

Greene pointed at another screen on the security monitor. "Look!"

Gordon was stunned to see Catwoman. She was just outside of the lab, on the opposite side of a wall of glass. Catwoman frantically pounded on the glass as the scientist inside the lab tried to escape.

When the glass, along with the entire lab, began to ice up, Catwoman desperately tossed an office chair in an attempt to break the glass--but to no avail. The glass barrier between her and the scientist held firm, despite her constant pounding on it.

Catwoman stopped pounding when the automated alarm sounded. Casting one last look at the poor scientist, who was now obscured by the ice all over the glass, Catwoman reluctantly ran down the hallway.

"Catwoman was here," Gordon said. "Does the security system report anything having been stolen?"

"No," Watts replied. "She probably didn't get a chance to steal anything before the building was put in lock down."

"But how did she get in?" Greene asked. "Or out?"

"She's Catwoman," Gordon said, by way of explanation. "She's a master burglar. You might want to run a check on all your vents that lead to the roof--that would be the most likely place for her to break in from."

Gordon couldn't help but note that Catwoman had tried to help the poor scientist who was trapped in the lab. 'Nice to see she's not completely cold-blooded,' he thought.

"What was that scientist doing, anyway?" Gordon asked. "Did he have authorization to be here?"

"No," Larson replied. "Apparently, he was working on a science project after hours--something to do with his field, which was cryogenics."

"He was always talking about trying to find a way to freeze his wife, who's terminally ill. She doesn't have long to live," Greene said. "But nobody thought he was truly serious about doing something."

"What was his name?" Gordon asked.

"Dr. Victor Fries," Larson said, his voice tinged with sadness. He stared forlornly at the doomed figure on the computer screen. "Oh, Victor, what were you thinking?"

**B&B**

"You were hired by a woman named Mercy?" Batman asked.

"I wouldn't say she hired me," Catwoman said. "As long as they have Holly, they have me over a barrel. I do whatever they want--which was break into Star Labs."

They stood on the apartment building roof, several blocks away from Star Labs. Catwoman had calmed down enough to tell Batman everything. He had to admit that he was surprised by her honesty. But then, this was a special case--a woman's life was in the balance.

"What did they want you to steal from Star Labs?" Batman asked.

"Irradiated marine life specimens that were brought back from the space shuttle," Catwoman said, giving him a shrug. "Don't ask me why--that was what they wanted."

"Irradiated fish?" Batman said thoughtfully.

"Mollusk, shellfish, clams--bottom feeders that the astronauts deliberately exposed to interstellar radiation, outside of the shuttle, while they were in space," Catwoman said. "That was what they wanted me to steal."

"Very curious," Batman said.

"Maybe they're looking for a new fish and chips recipe?" Catwoman suggested lightly. "I don't know, and I don't care. When that poor soul got freeze dried in there, the entire Star Labs facility went into lock down mode. I couldn't get anything. If it weren't for my escape route through the vents, I'd probably still be in there, as well--waiting for the cops to arrest me. Since I now don't have the glowing seafood--nor any way of getting to it--Holly is a good as dead!"

"No, she's not," Batman said firmly. "You mentioned before about how you were supposed to call them once the job was done."

Catwoman nodded. "And they'll arrange a meeting, right. But I don't have what they want!"

"Yes, but _they_ don't know that," Batman told her.

For the first time that evening, Catwoman burst into a broad smile. "Oh, I like this plan already…."

**B&B**

Robin parked the BMW about a block away from Boss Thorne's spacious mansion. He ran down the street and scaled the security wall by climbing an adjoining tree and jumping across the distance. He deftly landed on the top of the wall, easily maintaining his balance--which was just as well, since it was an almost two story drop on the other side.

Robin ran along the top of the wall until he came to a decorative hedge that grew on Thorne's grounds. Robin jumped onto the hedge, which was cut like a massive chess piece, and scurried down the side until he hit the ground.

Then he began running towards the house.

'No dogs,' he noted with a smile. 'Good. This is going to be easier than I thought….'

Robin kept running until he reached the driveway. He figured he would follow the driveway straight up into the house, where he would break inside through a window, and hopefully would finally confront the bastard who killed his family.

However, he was distracted by the sound of a heavy engine. Turning towards the gate at the end of the driveway Robin was stunned to see a large armored car smash its way backwards straight through the main gate.

'Holy gate crashers!' Robin thought, as he dived for cover in the bushes alongside the driveway.

The armored car continued going crazily up the driveway, until it stopped and the rear doors swung open. Several men, including one fellow who was dressed in a weird half and half suit, tossed out a body onto the pavement. Then the armored car drove back down the driveway and out onto the street. The men in the back were calling and hooting wildly.

Robin ran towards the body, thinking there was something he could do for the poor guy. Yet he stopped halfway when he saw that the man--who was dead--had been severely burned to a crisp all along one half of his body. There was a hand-written note attached to what was left of the dead man's shirt that read, "Dear Rupert, you're next! Love, Two-Face."

Robin was further caught off guard when every exterior light on the property suddenly lit up. He saw a group of men emerge from the mansion, all pointing at him and yelling.

"Damn it!" Robin said, as he started running.

He heard gunfire. Obviously, the men didn't wait until they were close enough to hit him. Robin cursed when his exit through the smashed gates was blocked by two goons with guns.

Diving through some bushes, Robin found himself in a maze of sorts--one that was made up of hedges. He frantically ran through it, hearing the men who gave chase shouting to each other all around him. Once he arrived at an exit, he saw it was blocked by another goon with a gun.

The goon, gazing at him with wide eyes, turned to call the others.

"You're it, binky," Robin muttered, as he charged towards the man. He jumped onto his hands and leapt up into a perfect somersault--and when he landed, Robin thrust all of his weight directly onto the goon, knocking him to the ground.

As he fell to the ground alongside the goon, Robin expertly rolled his body and sprang up into a full run. He dodged several bullets, the ricochet spraying pieces of stone onto him as he hit the chess piece-shaped hedge and scrambled up it as fast as he could. Robin only hoped he could get back over the wall before they shot him.

"Stop shooting, God damn it!" a male voice shouted.

When Robin jumped back over to the top of the stone wall, he turned and saw a white-haired man who strode up to the goons.

"We almost had him, Mr. Thorne," one of the men said.

"The cops are here," Thorne told him. "So put the heat away and try to act normal."

'Rupert Thorne,' Robin thought angrily. He was so close, and yet so damn far….

Reluctantly, Robin ran back down along the top of the stone wall. His vengeance had been delayed, but it would wait.

**B&B**

Olivia pulled the car into the parking lot of an all-night supermarket. She shut the engine off and said, "All right, Babs, come on up."

Barbra quickly and easily rolled over the front seat cushion and sat down next to her. Olivia noted that Barbra kept the jacket over her like a blanket, covering her costume in a self-conscious gesture.

"Are you cold?" Olivia asked. "You can wear that, if you want to."

Barbra shook her head in the negative. She had a shame-filled look on her face, and it appeared she might burst into tears again.

Olivia gave Barbra's cape a gentle tug. "Did you make this by yourself?"

The girl nodded. She wouldn't look at Olivia. "You must think I'm really crazy, huh?"

"Actually, I was admiring your handiwork," Olivia told her. "You did a great job on this costume, Barbra. You mind answering something for me?"

Barbra glanced up at her. "What?"

"Why did you feel the need to help the Batman?"

Barbra turned away from Olivia, and muttered something so low that it was barely audible.

"What?" Olivia asked. "Honey, please, speak up. I can't hear you."

"I said I love him," Barbra repeated, her eyes closed. "I-I love Batman, ok?"

"You mean like a crush?"

"It's more than a crush," Barbra said. She shook her head. "It's hard to explain."

"I think I can understand what you're feeling," Olivia replied.

"You're gonna tell me it's just a dumb, schoolgirl crush, right?"

"No, not at all. Believe it or not, Barbra, I've been there, where you are right now. I've once had a major crush on a much older guy when I was a kid, too."

"I've told you, this is more than a crush…."

"I know Batman personally, you know that, right?" Olivia asked.

Barbra nodded. "You're Batman's Buddy. Everybody knows that."

'Batman's buddy?' Olivia thought, as she inwardly cringed. 'Oh well, I guess there are worse things to be known as….'

"Yeah, that's me, Batman's Buddy," Olivia said with a smile. "And, as such, I can tell you that he's spoken for. I'm sorry, sweetie, but Batman is already seeing somebody special."

Barbra stared at her in shock. "Who is she?"

Olivia shook her head. "I can't tell you that, or else you might figure out who Batman is. I swore an oath, you know."

"Batman's girlfriend, is she pretty?" Barbra asked.

'Oh God, the poor girl's got it bad,' Olivia thought. "The point I'm making is: it would be best if you found another direction in which to focus your energies, Babs. Because what you're feeling right now isn't love, it's an obsession. As I've said before, I know, because I've been there myself."

When Barbra lowered her head, Olivia reached out and gently raised her chin so that they gazed at each other. "He's too old for you, sweetheart," Olivia told Barbra. "It would never work out, even if he didn't have a girlfriend. So you really need to just move on. Do you understand?"

"Yeah," Barbra said, her voice tinged with a sob. She glanced down at her Batgirl outfit and muttered, "I'm such an idiot…."

"Oh, please don't say that, honey," Olivia said, as she swept the girl up into a warm hug. "You're an intelligent young woman. And even smart people make a wrong turn here and there."

"I suppose you're gonna turn me in, now," Barbra said, after they broke their embrace. "Not that I don't deserve it…."

Olivia had given this plenty of thought on the drive over here. "How did you get out of the house? You sneak out?"

Barbra nodded, looking ashamed. "My mom goes to bed pretty early, and my dad's working late tonight--as you well know."

"If I let you go back home, without telling your parents, then you need to promise me that you will never do this again. Batgirl's career ends tonight, understand me?"

"Yes, oh yes!" Barbra said gratefully. "I'll burn the costume as soon as I get home, Liv!"

Olivia chuckled as she shook her head. "No, nothing so drastic as that! Listen, just promise me that you will never go out as Batgirl again, ok?"

"I promise," Barbra solemnly swore.

"Ok. Now, understand, if I ever see you as Batgirl out on the streets, then I'm telling your parents."

"I understand, Liv," Barbra said. "Believe me, I'm done with it."

Satisfied, Olivia nodded. She realized that she should probably have told Barbra's parents about this situation. Yet, since their abduction last year at the hands of the Joker and Harlequin, Olivia had felt a special bond with this kid--who bravely did her own part to help both Olivia and Alex to survive that ordeal. And if this crisis could be resolved without it turning into a major catastrophe, then so much the better.

As she drove Barbra home, Olivia said, "You know, Babs, if you really have a yen to solve crime, you should consider becoming a police officer. At least then you'll have the training you need to survive the streets."

"I don't think so, Liv," Barbra said flatly. "I mean, all due respect, but tonight's disaster has cured me from wanting to fight crime in any way, shape or form."

Olivia almost pointed out that most cops didn't face the kind of situation that Barbra had put herself in--yet she decided to just keep quiet. If Barbra was truly cured of hitting the streets at night as a homemade crime fighter, then that was so much for the better.

Once they arrived at Barbra's suburban home, the girl unfastened her seat belt--and then surprised Olivia by reaching over and giving her a warm hug, along with a peck on the cheek.

"Thanks so much, Liv," Barbra said. "You're a lifesaver."

The girl got out of the car and walked up to her house.

The warm, fuzzy feeling that filled Olivia's being was shattered when she witnessed Barbra abruptly climb up the front porch of the darkened house. When she was on the porch roof, Barbra did an elaborate somersault, which landed her right on the small patio of her bedroom window. Giving Olivia one final wave goodbye, Barbra casually strode inside.

'Sweet Jesus!' Olivia thought, as her heart hammered from the shock of what she'd just seen. 'Looks like I got to Babs just in time!'

**B&B**

The meeting was arranged within an abandoned warehouse along Gotham City's piers. When Catwoman arrived, she entered through the freight doors that had been left open for her. The lights had been turned on, and Mercy stood in the center of the empty storage space, surrounded by armed thugs. Holly lay on the floor in front of her, still trussed up, and still clad in the robe she had on from last night.

"Did you get the merchandise?" Mercy asked.

Catwoman held up the black bag that hung from her shoulder from a strap. "Right here."

Mercy smiled at her. It wasn't a very pleasant smile. "I see you are as good as they say. Toss it over--"

"No, you hand over Holly, first," Catwoman said.

Mercy shook her head. "You're really not in any position to make demands, Catwoman. But--in the interest of cooperation, why don't we play it your way?"

She nodded at one of the thugs, who hauled the bound Holly over his shoulder and carried her over to Catwoman--where he roughly placed her on the floor at Catwoman's feet.

He held his hand out. "The bag," he grumbled.

Catwoman gave it to him. Once he headed back to Mercy with it, Catwoman bent down and immediately untied Holly with her claws.

"You all right?" she asked Holly, once her blindfold and gag had been removed.

"Just dandy," Holly muttered sarcastically, as she got to her feet.

Catwoman smiled. Holly was just fine.

"What the hell is this?" Mercy angrily said. She had opened the bag that Catwoman handed to the thug and now held up a bag of frozen shrimp--the very same, everyday brand that was available in any supermarket.

"You said you wanted irradiated seafood," Catwoman casually told her. "So, just nuke that in the mircowave, and voila! Instant irradiated seafood."

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Mercy asked her.

"Just giving you the same type of respect you've given me," Catwoman shot back.

Mercy shook her head in disgust. "You want to play it that way? Fine."

She made a big show of holding up her hand and snapping her fingers. Then she and the thugs waited expectantly.

When nothing happened, Mercy cast an annoyed glance at the ceiling above them and snapped her fingers once more.

"If you're waiting for the snipers, don't bother," a cold, inhuman voice called from the darkness. "Because they can no longer help you…."

With that, two men fell from the girders that ran over their heads. Their fall was stopped by the ropes they were entwined in, and the unconscious snipers hung above the crowd like a pair of damaged puppets.

"Oh, sweet Jesus," one of the thugs fearfully said. He pulled out his Uzi and frantically aimed it at the ceiling. "I was really hoping we wouldn't run into this guy…."

"Too late," Batman said, as he jumped out from behind a support beam. He knocked the man down with just two punches, then tossed something at the floor, which exploded with a flash.

Catwoman, sensing her cue, grabbed Holly's hand. "C'mon. We're getting out of here."

"Gladly!" Holly said. "You never told me you were working with the Batman."

"It's just a fling," Catwoman gaily replied, as they both ran out of the warehouse under the cover of the billous smoke that accompanied the flash.

**B&B**

After he threw the smoke capsule, Batman went after the tallest, most meanest looking goon in the gang first. 'Take down the alpha dog, and the mutts will follow,' he thought.

He walked up to the man, who was easily a foot taller than he was, and gently tapped him on the shoulder. When the goon turned around, Batman belted him across the face and then kicked him in the stomach. He collapsed like a chopped-down tree in a forest. Batman was almost temped to call 'Timber!'

Somebody opened fire within the smoky haze, causing Batman to dive low to the ground. His Batsuit was equipped to stop a bullet, if need be--but he didn't want to put it to the test unless he absolutely had to. Instead, he sought out the shooter from the noise his gun made and circled around him.

Once Batman came up right behind the man, he grabbed the lapel of his jacket and slammed his head into the steel girder that served as a support beam. The gunfire was instantly silenced.

Judging from the sounds of running shoes on the concrete floor, Batman realized the rest of the goon squad must be making a run for it. No doubt Catwoman and her friend were no gone by now--but Batman was willing to cut her some slack today.

Right now, he wanted Mercy.

**B&B**

"Get this thing up, now!" Mercy cried, as she and the remaining men ran towards the helicopter.

The pilot, who sat waiting for them inside, nodded. The helicopter motor began to whine as the rotors started to spin. The chopper was practically hovering about an inch over the ground as everybody climbed inside. Mercy was stunned to see that more than half of her men were missing.

As soon as everybody was aboard, the chopper began to rise into the night sky. Mercy let out a relieved sigh. "That's it, baby," she said, smiling. "We're free and clear!"

"JESUS, LOOK!" Donovan, the pilot, screamed, as he pointed out the window.

Mercy's eyes grew wide at the sight she beheld. A giant, bat-like shape emerged from the thick smoke that emitted from the warehouse. It flew straight at them, it's wings melting away into a cape as it landed on the side of the helicopter--its weight momentarily causing the helicopter to lose its balance.

"HE'S NOT HUMAN!" Donovan screamed, as Batman glared in at all of them. Mercy saw he was reaching for something in his utility belt. "HE'S NOT FREAKING HUMAN!"

"We've taken down Superman," Mercy snarled, as she pulled out a special gun. "So let's see if Bats is any tougher…."

She fired the EMP gun, which shot an energized pulse right at Batman, just as he threw something into the helicopter.

There was a flash, and before Mercy realized it, the entire interior of the helicopter was covered in dense smoke.

**B&B**

Batman grunted as the impact from the pulse gun knocked him off of the chopper. The Batsuit absorbed the worse of it--yet it was no match for physics: the blast itself was too strong to resist, and so he fell from the chopper.

Twisting about in the air, Batman instantly flicked his hands--however, his cape would not solidify into wings.

'That damned gun must have screwed with the electrical charge,' Batman realized, as he reached for a grappler gun. He shot it at the nearest building and hoped his aim was true.

It was. He felt the line grow taunt and instinctively swung up onto a rooftop.

Once he landed, Batman scanned the night skies for the chopper. Thanks to his flash capsule, they should be having some trouble of their own. And there they were, coming in for an emergency landing in a field next to the warehouse.

Batman raised his gaunlet to his face and said, "Come here."

As he waited for the Batwing to come for him, Batman glanced behind him and saw a young couple on the rooftop. There was a small folding table set up, with a candlelight dinner spread out on it. The man was down before the table in a kneeling position, with the woman standing before him, holding up her hand, which had a sparkling ring on one finger.

Yet this romantic moment had been shattered by Batman's arrival; the lovebirds now stared at him with disbelief etched in their expressions.

"Excuse me," Batman said, as the Batwing slowly rose up to greet him. Before boarding, he turned one last time and added, "Oh, and...congratulations."

"Uh…thanks…." the woman said, still looking shocked.

Once in the pilot's seat, Batman took control of the Batwing and flew it towards the field, where the chopper sat, smoke billowing from all of its windows.

Yet before he even parked the Batwing next to it, Batman already realized that his prey were long gone. Nixing a landing, Batman flew the Batwing in a slow circle around the field, hoping to spot either Mercy or one of her crew. But after a fruitless search, his radar picked up an incoming aircraft, and Batman glanced up and saw it was a police chopper--who were no doubt called in thanks to the antics of the helicopter in the field.

Veering off, Batman decided to call off the hunt…for now. Yet there was a clue, something that Mercy herself said about them having taken down Superman.

"Looks like I might be calling on the Man Of Steel," Batman muttered.

**To Be Continued...**


	8. Chapter 8

_My thanks to piecesofyourheart, futureforensic, RebelByrdie and D.J. Scales for their kind reviews. Thanks guys!_

**Batman & Benson 3**

**Chapter Eight**

"This is turning out to be a busy night," Gordon said, as he strode onto the spacious grounds of Rupert Thorne's mansion. The driveway was completely lit up--both by lights on the grounds, as well as from mobile lighting units that were set up by the Gotham City Police.

"You here to see the crispy critter, Commish?" Harvey Bullock asked.

"Why not?" Gordon muttered. "Got nothing better to do on a Saturday night."

"Make that a half-crispy critter," Jordan Cavanaugh said, as she rose up from her examination of the body. It was already being bagged by her assistants.

"You've confirmed that it's Herby Laughlin?" Gordon asked.

Cavanaugh nodded. "That much was clear from the one half of his face that wasn't burned away with acid."

"And only half of his whole body was burned?" Gordon shook his head dismally. "Leave it to Dent to go for the theatrics….

"Just like how Two-Face was scarred," Bullock said. "Helluva way to get revenge."

Montoya handed Gordon a sheet of paper that was sealed in a plastic evidence bag. "This was attached to the body, sir."

"'Dear Rupert, You're next. Love, Two-Face,'" Gordon said, reading from the note. "My, my…looks like our favorite gangster is up against it."

"And does anybody really feel sad?" Montoya said with a smile.

"Speak of the devil," Bullock said, with a nod to his left. "Here comes the big slug, now."

Gordon glanced in that direction and saw the white-haired mob boss lumbering towards them, surrounded by a group of the most nervous-looking bodyguards he'd ever seen.

'They've got to be keeping _really_ busy these days,' Gordon thought, as he regarded the anxious group of bodyguards with a smile. 'Hope Thorne provides good health insurance…'

"Damn it, Gordon!" Thorne roared. "What kind of a Mickey Mouse police department are you running, anyway?!"

"Actually, I was always more partial to Bugs Bunny, myself," Gordon casually told him.

"Yeah, Mickey Mouse never really rocked my world, either," Montoya said with a nod. "Bugs, though, he was the man."

"You mean, he was the _rabbit_, right?" Bullock asked.

"Or, if you're Elmer Fudd," Cavanaugh added, "then he was the _wabbit_."

"Details…details…." Montoya muttered.

"You all think this is funny?!" Thorne pointed at the covered body that lay in his driveway. "I knew that man. He was like family to me! And now he's dead!"

"We know who killed him," Gordon curtly replied. He held up the note. "It's Harvey Dent. And--surprise, surprise--he's coming after you, now, Thorne."

"Yeah, I can see you're real broken up about it, too," Thorne said with disgust. "How do I know he ain't working in league with the Batman?"

"That's ridiculous!" Montoya cried.

"Is it?! Then how do you explain that kid?"

"What kid?" Gordon asked.

Thorne threw up his hands. "I don't know his name! You need a damned scorecard just to keep track of all the costumed freaks running around these days. He was dressed in a red and green outfit, with a cape. I'm willing to bet that he, as well as Dent, are working with Batman to persecute me!"

"This kid, was he the one your boys were shooting at?" Bullock asked. Turning to Gordon, he added, "We got a lot of reports of gunfire coming from here just before we arrived."

"My men all have permits for their guns," Thorne angrily said. "They were protecting me from a trespasser who meant to do me harm!"

"They may have permits for handguns," Montoya said. She gestured at the blasted concrete walls. "But it looks like automatic weapons fire caused that. That sort of hardware isn't allowed within Gotham City limits, Thorne."

"I don't know who caused that damage!" Thorne said. "As I've told you, all of my men are armed with legal handguns, only."

"So you're saying that this costumed freak was shooting the place up, as well?" Bullock asked skeptically.

"Or it could be that Dent maniac shooting from his truck!" Thorne said.

"Or it could have been your men shooting the place up with illegal automatic weapons, which you've managed to ditch before we arrived," Gordon firmly said. "I don't know who you think you're kidding here, Thorne. You're a mob boss who has dodged proper justice for years--and when something from your shady lifestyle blows back on you, you come crying to us to protect you."

"If you're not willing to protect me, Gordon, then I'll just have to do it myself!" Thorne threatened.

Gordon stuck his face right into Thorne's and said, "No, we'll do our jobs, as always. But understand something: Harvey Dent, the man we once knew, is no more. He's been replaced by a psychopath named Two-Face--who apparently either blames you for his troubles--or he's decided to rub you out just for the hell of it. But either way, if you're crazy enough to take him on by yourself, then all I have to say is: it's been nice knowing you, Rupert."

As Gordon strode off with Bullock and Montoya in tow, Cavanaugh called for her people to move the body.

"I gotta say, Commish," Bullock said. "I wouldn't mind seeing Two-Face go one on one with our pal Rupie!"

"What was he talking about, regarding the costumed trespasser?" Montoya asked.

"Who knows?" Gordon said, as he took out his cell phone. "We may have a new superhero in Gotham City."

"Like we don't got enough of them right now?" Bullock grumbled with annoyance.

"I'm calling everybody together for a meeting at my office," Gordon said, as he looked up Olivia's number. "Maybe the brain trust can figure out who this new guy is."

Gordon paused when he saw a familiar bat-like shape lurking on the top of the stone wall. "On second thought--Harvey, why don't you call everybody together for me? I've got to go and chat with somebody."

"Oh, _him_," Bullock muttered, irritated, when he saw the Batman. "At least we don't hafta bother with lighting up the Bat-signal…."

As Gordon strode over to him, Batman hunched down on the edge of the wall and said, "Looks like Thorne had an interesting party."

"He certainly spared no expense on bullets," Gordon wryly commented, as he examined the chewed up sections of the walls. "Harvey Dent was here. He killed Herby Laughlin and dumped his body in Thorne's driveway, along with a note stating that he--Thorne--was next. One half of Laughlin's entire body was dipped in acid."

"Two-Face isn't wasting any time," Batman said. "He making his moves in big, bold strides."

"Yes, but it's a bit silly of Two-Face to warn Thorne that he's coming, isn't it?"

"Not really, Jim. Two-Face knows that Thorne is too well protected here. This tactic of crashing the gate, and dumping Laughlin's body may be a ploy to try to scare Thorne out of his mansion, and into a more vulnerable area where Two-Face can get to him."

"Son of a gun," Gordon muttered, as he realized that Batman was right. "That makes sense…."

"If I were gunning for Thorne, that's what I'd do," Batman said. "What's this I hear about a costumed intruder on Thorne's estate?"

After Gordon filled him in on everything he knew--which, as Gordon himself admitted, wasn't much--the Batman nodded his head. "He was the one that Thorne's thugs were shooting at."

"I would think so," Gordon said. He glanced over as Montoya came running over to him. "What's up, Renee?"

"We just got a call over the dispatch radio," she said urgently. "The protective detail you placed there for the District Attorney has come under attack at Wayne Manor."

"Damn, this is _really_ turning into a busy--" Gordon hesitated when he realized that Batman was already gone. "--night."

**B&B**

Olivia let out a sigh as she finally walked through the door. Alex was already waiting for her, holding her arms out and giving Olivia a warm hug.

"Welcome back, baby," Alex said, giving Olivia a kiss. "Had I known you would have been recruited into duty like this, I never would have asked you to go out."

"It's just as well, because I got something to tell you," Olivia said, as she handed Alex the bag filled with croissants. "I met Batgirl, and--"

She was interrupted when her cell phone rang. "Uh, wait a sec--"

Alex shot her an irritated look. "Don't tell me you're leaving again?!"

Olivia just waved at her to be patient while she accepted the call. It was Harvey Bullock, who was calling because Commissioner Gordon was setting up another meeting of what Olivia had often jokingly referred to as the Justice Society, a close-knit group of people--which included the Batman--who regularly met in order to circumvent the red tape of an overly-clogged justice system.

Yet right in the middle of Bullock's call, he was interrupted when somebody--it sounded like Montoya--told him about an alert that came over the dispatch radio. "What?" Bullock said. "Where? Oh, good Christ…."

"Harvey?" Olivia asked. "What's wrong?"

"We just got a call from dispatch about an attack at Wayne Manor."

"Oh, my God," Olivia whispered in horror.

"What?!" Alex cried, looking like she was in agony. "Liv, what is it?!"

"Look, Liv, forget the meeting," Bullock said on the phone. "We're all going over there, now."

He hung up on Olivia before she could say anything else. She ended the call, placed the cell phone in her pocket, and stared at a nervous Alex. "Get dressed," she told her lover. "You're coming with me to Wayne Manor. There's been a dispatch call about a attack on the premises."

Alex's eyes grew wide with shock behind her glasses. "Oh, God, Liv--Bruce, Rachel, Dick and Alfred, are they…?"

"There was no word about that. But the sooner you get ready, the sooner we can get over there and find out, Alex!"

Alex raced off to the bedroom. She got dressed in record time. It wasn't ten minutes later that they sat in the car, with Olivia driving, on their way to Wayne Manor. They didn't say much, but the tension they both felt was palpable.

**B&B**

Robin returned to Wayne Manor feeling very disgruntled. He pulled onto the property using a side entrance, after giving the automated gate the proper access code.

'You just have to be patient,' he told himself. 'Boss Thorne is a very powerful figure in the mob, and taking him down won't be easy.'

He pulled the BMW over to the side of the access road. As was his habit, Robin changed out of his costume and into his civvies just before he returned to the mansion itself--just in case he was spotted by either Bruce, or Rachel's bodyguards, he didn't want to be seen wearing the Robin costume.

But before he could change in the heavily wood area, something caught Robin's attention.

It was gunfire.

Realizing something was very wrong, Robin remained in his costume and drove the motorcycle further up the access road, until he could get a better view of the mansion--and what he saw stunned him to no end.

The cadre of police that had been left out there to guard Rachel were in a firefight…with themselves, or so it appeared. Robin stared, amazed, as cops shot at other cops.

Then a bunch of police ran towards the front doors of the mansion.

"What's wrong with this picture?" Robin muttered, as he revved up the BMW and headed for the mansion.

'To hell with being seen by the police in my Robin duds,' he thought. 'Because, from the looks of things, my night of roughhousing is far from being over….'

**B&B**

Alfred may have been an old man, but his senses--such as his hearing, for example--were as keen as ever. He had been in the kitchen, cleaning up after dinner, when he heard the burst of gunfire off in the distance. Although it hadn't come from around the house itself, Alfred realized that it was still close enough to have occurred on the grounds of Wayne Manor.

Alfred immediately went over the whereabouts of everyone whom he cared for. Master Bruce was away on his…nocturnal duties; Master Dick had retired early to his room; while Miss Rachel was….

Alfred frowned. 'Where was Miss Rachel?'

He left the kitchen and strode into the living room, where he was relieved to find Rachel lounging on the sofa. Barefoot and clad in jeans with a sweatshirt, she looked over some legal documents that lay in her lap while a pre-recorded episode of American Idol blared away on the TV.

Rachel glanced up at him with a smile, her reading glasses tilted all the way on the edge of her nose; given her youthful appearance--Rachel was presently the youngest woman to ever serve as Gotham City's DA--Alfred thought the appearance of her glasses looked absolutely charming.

"Hi Alfred," she said. "Did I just hear fireworks?"

"No, Rachel," he replied disconcertedly. "I'm afraid it was gunfire."

Her smile instantly vanished as she sat up with a fearful expression. "Gunfire? Who's shooting? And why?"

"I guess that's what we're about to find out," Alfred said, once he heard the doorbell ring. He held out his hand once he saw Rachel was about to join him. "Perhaps you should stay where you are, just to be safe."

"Nonsense," Rachel replied, as she got up from the sofa and quickly padded across the floor towards him. "I feel safer being with you."

After checking with the security camera, and making sure their visitors were police, Alfred opened the door. "Is there a problem?" he asked.

"No, no problem," one of the policemen said, as he pointed a taser right at Alfred. "Everything's going just fine!"

Before he could react, Alfred was stunned with several thousand volts of electricity.

**B&B**

Rachel let out a scream of horror when she saw the policeman stun Alfred into unconsciousness right on the floor before her. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" she cried.

Yet once the group of policemen glanced at her with their collective smirks, a cold tingle ran down her spine as Rachel instantly realized that these were not real cops.

She tried to make a run for it--Rachel figured there was nothing she could do for poor Alfred right now but call for help--but she barely got a foot away from the door when she was grabbed at the nape of her neck and roughly forced face-down on the floor. Before she realized it, her wrists and ankles were bound quickly and efficiently with duct tape by several pairs of hands.

"What do you people want?!" Rachel helplessly cried--just before her mouth was covered with a piece of tape.

"It's nothing personal, toots," one of the men said gaily. "Our boss, Two-Face, just wants a word with you…."

Rachel's skin crawled with renewed terror at the thought of being at the mercy of that psychopath--a nightmarish scenario that appeared to be coming true, for there was presently nothing she could do about it.

"Get the bag, Joey," the false cop who spoke to Rachel now told one of his comrades. "We can put her in--"

And that was all he managed to say before he--and the rest of the squad of phony police--were all literally bowled over by a red and green force of nature that abruptly appeared in the doorway.

Rachel glanced up in amazement and watched as a young man in a mask and cape do a somersault right over her. He landed deftly on his feet in front of the false cops, who were all sprawled out, dazed, across the floor from the blow he'd dealt them.

"Just what part of 'protect and serve' don't you guys understand?" he lightly asked the phony cops.

**B&B**

"Serve this!" one of the cops shouted, as he reached for the gun in his holster.

Robin leapt towards the man and kicked him right in the face. "Just for that remark, I'm reporting you the police benevolent association!"

The guy was now knocked out, but his buddies were all slowly getting up. Robin kicked the feet out from under one of them, and punched another--but there were still three more men to deal with.

'My element of surprise is gone,' Robin realized. 'And they're all armed. I've got to grab Rachel and get the hell out of--'

Robin was startled when he turned around and saw one of the cops holding the bound and gagged Rachel up by the throat. "I don't know who the hell you're supposed to be, kid," he said. "But you'd better back off before I break this little bitch's neck!"

Rachel merely stared back in wide-eyed terror at him as Robin helplessly stood there, completely at a loss as to what to do next.

And that was when Robin saw the shadow.

It was a dark, looming shape that arose from the dimness just beyond the foyer. Robin watched, stunned, as the formless black shape with sharp, pointed ears reached out for the man who held Rachel and grabbed him from behind. The man barely had time to scream before he _and_ Rachel were both dragged into the darkness.

Robin glanced at the other phony cops and saw they were also standing there in shock with their mouths hanging open. He moved to attack them--but was stopped when something flew past him and struck the group of false cops dead center, knocking them down once more. Robin saw that their comrade, who had tried to take the bound Rachel hostage, had been flung out of the darkness, his unconscious body now nothing more than dead weight that had been used to knock the others down.

He turned back and saw the Batman emerge from the darkness, his wings flowing wide, arms outstretched in claws. He tackled the group of fake cops with an intensity that Robin had never seen before. In short, they never had a chance. Before they could gather their wits, the phony cops were savagely pummeled into unconsciousness.

All save one man.

Batman grabbed him by the throat and pulled him so close that they were face to face. "WHERE'S TWO-FACE'S HIDEOUT?!" the Dark Knight bellowed into the man's face. "WHERE CAN I FIND HIM?!"

"I-I don't know…." the man timidly replied.

"WRONG ANSWER!" the Batman roared, as his hand balled up into a fist.

"I swear to God!" the man pleaded. "Two-Face never told us the location of his hideout! W-we were told what to do on the phone by Bernie! Please, you gotta believe me!"

Rachel, who was now free of her bonds, quickly stepped out of the darkened room and ran over to the prone Alfred. She knelt beside the old man and gently caressed his head.

Robin came over and asked, "How is he?"

Rachel gave him a double take, then started to protectively hold the unconscious man in her arms as she stared warily up at Robin.

"Rachel, it's all right," Robin whispered, as he knelt down next to her. "It's me, Dick Grayson."

Rachel's eyes widened in recognition and wonder. "Why are you wearing that outfit?" she asked in a hushed tone. "Who are you supposed to be?"

"That's a good question," an angry voice asked.

Robin turned and saw the Batman now stood regarding him with a menacing glower. The thug he had been interrogating was now sprawled out on the floor, along with his comrades.

"He saved me!" Rachel quickly told Batman. "If it weren't for him tackling those guys when he did, I might have been stashed in a trunk by now, on my way to meeting Two-Face."

"Uh, yeah, what she said," Robin muttered, grateful for Rachel putting in a good word for him. He really didn't want to take on the Batman--not that he thought he could. The dude just took down a room filled with armed thugs; Robin was dreaming if he thought he could stand a chance against Batman.

Olivia warily entered the mansion with her gun held up. "Is everybody all right?"

"The situation is secure, Liv," Batman told her. "Are the police here?"

Olivia shook her head as she lowered her gun. "But they will be very shortly. Alex is outside, helping the injured cops as best she can. One of them managed to get a dispatch call off just as they were ambushed by this bunch. Do you know who they are?"

"Working for Two-Face," Batman replied. "They were just about to abduct Rachel."

"They practically _did_ abduct me," Rachel grimly said. "If it weren't for these two, I'd be in a world of hurt right now."

Once she got a look at Robin, Olivia flinched in surprise. "Who the hell are you supposed to be?!"

"I'm Robin," he said, hoping Olivia wouldn't recognize him.

"Dick?" Olivia said, frowning. "Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me, Liv," Robin said resignedly.

Batman walked over to Rachel and gazed at the prone Alfred. "How is he?"

"Still unconscious," Rachel replied fretfully. She now sat on the floor and cradled Alfred's head in her lap.

"Alex has already called for medical help," Olivia said, as she knelt down beside Rachel. Olivia took the old man's pulse and expertly nodded. "Yeah, it's nice and steady, which is a good sign. But still--I'm no doctor. It'll be better to get him to a hospital."

Batman abruptly tapped Robin on the shoulder and said, "We need to leave. Now."

"Uh, yeah, I guess I'd better be going…." Robin awkwardly said.

Yet just as Robin was about to step outside, Batman grabbed his arm. "No, I meant we're leaving together. You're coming with me."

"Ok," Robin said, as Batman escorted him down the hall. Maybe the Dark Knight knew a better exit from the mansion--one that avoided the police who would soon be swarming all over.

"I'll see you later," Batman called back to Rachel.

Robin was intrigued at how well Batman seemed to know the inside of Wayne Manor. He was quickly led down a corridor, towards a study. Once there, Batman pulled back the head on a bust of William Shakespeare and pressed the red button that was exposed.

Robin jumped in surprise when a secret panel within the wall slid open. Batman quickly entered without a glance at Robin--apparently he expected Robin to follow, and so he did.

'This must be how he gets around Gotham City,' Robin thought, as he followed Batman down a narow passageway. 'There must be a secret catacomb system underneath the city, one that Batman uses to--'

Robin's excited musings was cut off once he caught sight of the vast, subterranean area that was laid out before him. A monstrous vehicle that could only be the Batmobile sat on a circular platform, next to two other circle-shaped platforms that contained a workshop, a lab, and various equipment.

The place was even more awesome to walk around in once Robin got off the elevator with Batman. Robin was amazed at the sight of a life-sized T-Rex in a far corner, along with a giant penny. Several bats flew overhead, briefly lit by the halogen lights that were arrayed in the rocky crevices.

Robin glanced at Batman, who was casually taking off his utility belt, and he realized that this was where Batman hung up his cape--literally!

'Man, I wonder if Bruce has any idea that the Batman has his Bat-crib right under Wayne Manor!' Robin thought in amazment.

Then it finally hit him.

"Oh God, no," Robin said, as he watched the Batman remove his cowl. "It can't be…."

But it was.

Once Batman removed his cowl, it was Bruce Wayne who glared back at him.

"You mind telling me just what the hell it is you think you're doing, Dick?" Bruce asked, looking annoyed.

But Robin, still stunned at this revelation, could only stare back in shock.

**B&B**

When Olivia went back outside, she was grateful to see that two ambulances had arrived, along with more police. Alex--who had knelt down beside an injured policeman, offering whatever assistance she could--quickly moved out of the way as the paramedics began to check him out.

"There's also an elderly man inside," Olivia called to the paramedics. "He's been shot with a taser."

"Oh, God, no!" Alex said with a sob. "Where is he, Liv?! Alfred?!"

Olivia gently grabbed her tearful lover--who had frantically tried to enter the mansion--and moved her out of the way so one of the paramedics could go inside and tend to the butler.

"Alex, take it easy," Olivia soothed her. "Easy, babe…."

"Take it easy? Alfred's been shot with a taser!" Alex cried. "How can I take it easy?!"

"Alfred's unconscious, and Rachel's hanging by her last thread--they tried to kidnap her, and damn near succeeded," Olivia told her. "Somebody's got to be strong here, and it might as well be us. Ok?"

"Who did this?" Alex asked, as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"It was Harvey," Olivia said with a sigh. "His goons were after Rachel, but Batman stopped them."

When several uniformed officers came up to them, Olivia flashed her badge and ordered them to secure the knocked-out thugs in the foyer. She glanced over and saw Gordon's limo pull up. She would be running into her boss for the second time tonight.

'At least I no longer have his daughter tucked away in my car,' she thought.

"That bastard," Alex muttered, her face livid with rage. "That rat bastard!"

"We'll get him, Alex," Olivia assured her. "We'll stop Harvey."

"You mean we'll stop Two-Face," Alex said. "Because, whatever that monster is now, Olivia, he's no longer the Harvey Dent we once knew!"

Gordon walked up to them with Harvey and Renee in tow. In the driveway, two more ambulances arrived with more police. "Fancy meeting you again, Olivia," Gordon said. "You have a unique talent for being where the action is."

"That's cuz she's always sticking her nose where it ain't supposed to be," Harvey muttered.

Yet from the slight smile on his face, Olivia knew he was just teasing her in his own intimidable fashion. Ignoring him, she turned to Gordon and spent the next minute giving him a run down on what happened here. "Apparently, Two-Face's men got through Wayne Manor's security by dressing like cops," Olivia said, as she finished up. "And after they shot up our boys and girls, they were able to gain access into the mansion by still posing as cops."

Before Gordon could reply, the paramedic who went in to check on Alfred urgently appeared in the doorway. "Gary, get the stretcher!" he called to his partner. "We gotta take this one to the hospital, pronto!"

"Oh, sweet Jesus," Olivia muttered, as she and the others peered inside.

A distraught Rachel knelt over the prone Alfred, holding his hand. She glanced up at Olivia and said, "He won't wake up, Liv…. He-he's not responding at all…."

"Move aside, please," the other paramedic said to Olivia, as he wheeled the stretcher into the foyer.

Olivia and the others watched helplessly as the paramedics prepared Alfred and gently lifted him onto the stretcher. As they quickly wheeled him outside, Olivia asked, "Where are you taking him?"

"Mercy General," one of the paramedics said, as they flew past her.

"I'm going with him," Rachel told Olivia. "Please tell Bruce for me?"

"I will, Rachel," she promised. When she saw that Alex was chomping at the bit to go, Olivia said, "Go ahead, Alex. Go with them."

"Thanks, babe," Alex said as she gently squeezed Olivia's shoulder. "I'll see you there."

"Where's Bruce?" Gordon asked her.

"He's, um, changing." Olivia glanced at all of the police who swarmed around Wayne Manor and decided that she had better go warn Bruce before a cop caught him coming out of the secret passageway. "I'll go let him know where Alfred's being taken."

"Good idea, Liv," Gordon said. He shook his head at the sight of the wounded police officers being tended to by the paramedics. "When will this madness ever end?"

"Catching Two-Face will help," Bullock muttered.

As Olivia briskly walked towards the location of the Batcave passageway, she couldn't get the image of poor Alfred lying on that stretcher out of her mind. She wanted nothing more than to sit in a corner and cry like a baby, but she forced herself to keep it together.

'Be well, Alfred,' she thought. And, despite her best efforts, Olivia still couldn't keep the tears from flowing. 'Please be ok…we can't afford to lose you….'

**B&B**

Bernie entered the office, which was half in shadow, and half lit. Two-Face sat in the center--Bernie wasn't sure if it did it on purpose, but the scarred side of Two-Face's face matched that of the shadows that were cast over half of the room.

'The crazy bastard's now decorating according to his face,' Bernie thought nervously. Not for the first time did Bernie wonder if he shouldn't just try and pop Two-Face in the head with his nine. But, as crazy as he was, Two-Face was still very sharp, mentally…and fast. Bernie was afraid of what Two-Face might do if he fudged a hit on him.

Two-Face kept flipping that damn coin, staring at it as it spun in the air, almost as though it contained all the secrets of the universe. "You got something to say, Bernie?"

"Yeah," Bernie said, girding himself to say the bad news. "The kidnapping of Dawes…it didn't work."

Two-Face abruptly stopped flipping the coin. "Why not?"

"Batman was there," Bernie replied tightly.

Two-Face merely sat still for a moment. Then he flipped the coin once more. When it landed in his palm, he closed his hand and flipped it over so that the coin landed on the back of his other hand. Two-Face raised his hand, exposing the scratched-up heads side of the coin.

"You know the old saying, Bernie," Two-Face said, as that ghastly grin crept across his face. "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again…."

**B&B**

Chloe Sullivan let out a weary sigh as she entered the motel room. She placed her meager dinner--a takeout burger and fries; which already grown cold--on the table and took a seat on the lumpy sofa, where she stared up at the ceiling in frustration.

So far, her private investigation into her least favorite person in the world, Lex Luthor, had come up with nothing, zilch, nada. Once she had heard about the break in at Star Labs, Chloe had arrived in Gotham City hoping to catch Luthor in the act. It just sounded like something he'd might pull off.

But while Catwoman had been seen on the premises, nothing was actually stolen--it looked as if she had been thwarted when a poor scientist had been caught in an explosion in one of the labs.

'But Lex isn't the type to hire somebody like Catwoman,' Chloe thought. 'Or is he?'

It was so damn infuriating. The man could seemingly do whatever he wanted to whomever he wanted--Luthor was even responsible for Chloe losing her job at the Daily Planet, and since then, she had sought to pay him back for that, amongst the myriad of other injustices he had committed. Yet trying to catch Luthor in an illegal act was about as futile as trying to grab smoke with your hands.

Chloe's cell phone rang, and when she glanced at the caller ID, she was stunned to see the name: Lana Lang. The last person on earth whom Chloe ever thought would call her was on the line right now.

She eagerly accepted the call. "Hello?"

"Chloe," Lana's anxious voice said. "Where are you? I need to speak with you?"

"Lana, what's wrong?"

"No, not on the phone," Lana said. "Lex might be listening. I need to see you in person, in a public place, as soon as possible. Where are you?"

"In Gotham City, but--"

"Perfect!" Lana said excitedly. "Anyplace but Metropolis. He's got eyes and ears all over this town. Is there a public place in Gotham where I can meet you?"

Chloe's brain felt like mush from all the running around she had done today. Yet she still quickly thought of someplace safe where they could meet. "Do you know the Showcase Square Mall?"

"Yes! That would be perfect! A nice, public place--he wouldn't try anything in a place like that. Can I meet you there tomorrow? Say, around twelve?"

"Meet me in the Showcase Square food court around twelve," Chloe told her. "Lana, what's wrong?"

"It's Lex," she whispered, sounding scared out of her mind. "H-He's gone too far this time, Chloe! I can't just stand by while he just goes and--oh God!"

Chloe's eyes grew wide in fear as the line suddenly went dead. "Lana? _Lana_?!"

**To Be Continued...**


	9. Chapter 9

_I'd like to thank FutureForensic, piecesofyourheart, D, and RebelByrdie for their comments. Thanks! :-)_

**Batman & Benson 3**

**Chapter Nine**

Bruce came out of the alcove, where he had quickly changed out of the Batsuit and into regular clothes, and sat down in a chair by the workbench to put on his socks and shoes. He glanced impatiently up at Dick, who stood there--still clad in his garish costume--staring at him in shock.

"You didn't answer my question," Bruce said, as he tied his shoe laces. "What the hell do you think you're doing? No, wait, let me guess: you're seeking revenge, right?"

Once his shoes were tied, he stood up and walked over to the boy. "You found out that Rupert Thorne was behind the hit on your parents, and you decided to take matters into your own hands by breaking into his mansion tonight."

"How do you know all that?"

"There was plenty of talk at Thorne's afterwards about an unknown costumed intruder." Bruce pointed at the scratch on Dick's face. "Plus, you got hit with the flying shards of concrete that were ejected when Thorne's goons accidentally fired into the walls. Tell me I'm wrong."

"No," he admitted. "You're right, I was there tonight."

"What did you think you were going to do?"

"Kill him."

There was a pause as Bruce shook his head in despair.

"Justice wasn't being served," Dick said angrily. "Thorne was just gonna get away with killing my family, Bruce!"

"And so you were going to take matters into your own hands?"

"Isn't that what you're doing? You're the Batman! Aren't you also taking matters into your hands?"

"Yes, but the difference is I know what I'm doing, Dick."

Dick nodded. "You know, you're right: I don't know what I'm doing. So teach me."

"What?!" Bruce asked, frowning.

"I mean it," Dick said. "Who better to teach me this sort of thing than the Batman himself?"

"What do you want me to teach you, Dick, how to kill?" Bruce asked skeptically. "I took you into my house because, when you lost your family, I saw myself in you. You know I also lost my parents. I felt bad for you, because I've been in your position myself. But the most I've ever wanted to do for you was to just help you: to give you a place to live while you attended school and get back on your feet. To give you a fresh start on life. I never intended for you to be just like me."

"But we are alike, Bruce."

"No, we're not alike. For one thing, the Batman doesn't kill people."

"Maybe he should," Dick said. "Doesn't it piss you off that guys like Thorne always beat the system?"

"Of course. But kicking down Thorne's door and just killing him outright? If he did that, then the Batman would be no better than any other super villain out there."

Dick shook his head. "What's the goddamn point, then?"

"It's a battle to tip the scales in favor of justice, and that's a battle which is always worth fighting, Dick." He glanced up and saw Olivia standing by the railing on the second level. She gazed down at them solemnly. "What is it, Liv?"

"Alfred's been taken to Mercy General," she told them. "The paramedics needed to move him immediately. Rachel and Alex went with him."

"Did he say anything?"  
Olivia shook her head glumly. "He still hadn't regained consciousness when they took him away."

"Damn it," Bruce muttered, as he grew even more worried than he was before. He handed Dick a robe and added, "Put this on, and take off your mask. The robe will hide your outfit so you can get to your room and change."

"I'd like to come with you to the hospital," Dick said, as he put on the robe.

"You will," Bruce assured him. "Where did you get that outfit, anyway?"

"My mother made it for me," he replied, removing the mask. "She made a new set of outfits for all of us just before she died." He paused, shaking his head. "Look, Bruce, no offense, but telling me I can't seek justice for my family…well, that sounds hypocritical. I mean, that's why you became Batman, isn't it? To seek out your own justice?"

"I never said you couldn't seek justice for your family," Bruce replied. "I only said that killing is never proper justice. Look, why don't we postpone this discussion for now? I want to get to the hospital and check on Alfred."

Dick nodded in understanding. "I'll go get changed."

"Wait for us in the garage," Bruce told him, as they rode up to the second level where Olivia stood.

"Yeah, uh, that's just as well," Dick said, looking somewhat sheepish. "Because I gotta gas up the BMW bike, anyway."

"Nice to see you're fighting crime in style," Bruce jokingly said, as he walked over to Olivia. "Oh, and Dick…?"

Once the boy stopped to glance back at him, Bruce said, "Thanks for helping Rachel right in the nick of time."

"I just stalled them long enough for you to get there, Bruce," Dick said with a shrug. "It was a good thing you showed up when you did, too. Because I was running out of tricks."

Once they were alone, Olivia shot him an annoyed look. "What are you doing, leading a children's crusade against crime?!"

Bruce stared at Olivia, surprised at what she said, as well as the harshness in her tone. "I'm not crazy that he's taken it upon himself to do this, Liv. But, all the same, he handled himself very well by helping me to save Rachel. And I'm not leading any crusade, here. You know I prefer to work alone."

She shook her head. "No, wait…sorry! It's been a long night--and one that's not going to end anytime soon. There's also something that I completely forgot to tell you: Barbra Gordon is Batgirl."

Bruce listened, stunned, as Olivia gave him a brief run-down of her encounter earlier this evening with Jim Gordon's daughter. "Damn, I never knew that was Barbra whom I saw on that rooftop."

"I had a long chat with her, and I _think_ I convinced her to give it up--if she doesn't…well, I threatened to tell her parents."

Bruce stared thoughtfully at Olivia. "You didn't turn her in."

"No," she said with a weary sigh. "And I'm starting to wonder if I did the right thing. It may sound silly, but I just couldn't humiliate Barbra in front of her father like that."

"Actually, Liv, I think you handled it well. It sounds like Barbra may have been scared badly enough to give it up," Bruce told her. "And, without realizing it, you've probably done Jim a huge favor."

"How do you figure?"

"If you had exposed Barbra in that situation, not only would the girl have been humiliated, but Jim would have, as well. His enemies would have used that piece of news--his young daughter running around Gotham impersonating Batman--against him politically, and he might be in danger of losing his job. And the Batman would be in danger of losing one of his best allies in Gotham City."

"Speaking of Jim, he's waiting for us in the foyer," Olivia said. As they started walking down the passageway, she abruptly asked, "Hey, Barbra spent the night here, didn't she?"

"Yes, several times, along with you and Alex," Bruce said.

Olivia nodded. "So that explains it…."

"Explains what?"

"Why you, Barbra and now Dick have all felt the urge to become costumed crime fighters," Olivia said, with a slight smile. "There must something in the water here at Wayne Manor."

Despite the lingering anxiety he felt for Alfred's well being, Bruce couldn't help but smile at Liv's joke. And in that moment, he truly appreciated the fact that she was there for him. "You're my other best ally in Gotham City, Liv," he said, gazing at her fondly. "I don't know what I do without you."

As she strode along side him, Olivia's response to his compliment was typical for her: she shyly glanced down at the floor as she blushed in embarrassment.

**B&B**

"You were right, Two-Face," Bernie said, as he entered the office. "Thorne has left his mansion and went to his house in the country. Ronnie just called in and confirmed it."

The figure who sat behind the desk leaned forward, exposing his dual-sided countenance in the illumination of the lamp. For once, he wasn't flipping the coin--a sight which surprised Bernie. Another thing that surprised Bernie was the sight of three men who had just been leaving when Bernie entered the office. They all had the rough and tumble look of mobsters, and one of them glared back at Bernie as if he were the enemy.

"What does the protection for Thorne look like?" Two-Face asked.

"The same number of goons that protected him at his mansion in the city," Bernie replied, as he watched the men leave the room. "But, just like you figured, they're more spread out and vulnerable at the country house. Thorne couldn't make it anymore easier for us if he went for a walk in the park with a target painted on his fat head. So when do you want to hit him? I figure the sooner, the better…."

"I do, as well, Bernie," Two-Face said. "Let's give him a day to settle in, shall we?"

"Tomorrow night, then?"

Two-Face was about to nod in agreement--until he picked up the coin and flipped it. He caught it in his hand, then flipped it over on the back of his other hand, where he saw it was tails.

"Yes, tomorrow night is when things happen, Bernie," Two-Face replied, as his lips spread out into another ghastly grin. "But I'll be making other plans for that evening. You see, I'll be busy robbing another place…."

Bernie stared at Two-Face with a puzzled look on his face. "You're…what?"

"Trust me, Bernie," Two-Face said, as he once more flipped the coin up in the air. "Just trust me."

Bernie was unsettled to the point where he just had to know who those guys were; he couldn't let it slide. "May I ask you something, Two-Face?"

"Shoot."

He gestured at the door through which the men had left. "Who were they?"

Two-Face smiled. "Once word got out that I was taking on Thorne, these boys decided they wanted to join our gang. Ain't that great, Bernie?"

"Yeah," Bernie replied, as he hid his unsettled feelings about these strangers.

"And the best thing about these new guys is that I don't have to bribe them to work for me," Two-Face added, as he burst into laughter. "A bunch of hired guns who I can actually trust…imagine that, Bernie!"

He was still laughing when Bernie left him, and Bernie wasn't sure if Two-Face was laughing at the situation--or at him.

**B&B**

Olivia entered the hospital waiting room with two cups of coffee in her hands. She carefully leaned over and let Alex take one, while she placed the other on the table for herself. She glanced over at Bruce and Rachel, who sat huddled together on the sofa. "You guys sure you don't want anything?"

They both shook their heads in the negative. Olivia glanced at Dick--who sat in a chair across from them--with a questioning look, but before she could verbally ask, he already shook his head. "Thanks, Liv. But I'm good."

Olivia glanced out the windows and saw daybreak had arrived. They had spent the entire night waiting to hear of Alfred's condition.

She sat down next to Alex, who sat hunched over in the chair, fraught with worry. Olivia balled her hand into a fist and began to rigorously rub Alex's back. Alex let out a grateful sigh as she reached out and gently squeezed Olivia's knee. "Thanks, sweetie. I didn't realize just how much I needed that."

"No problem," Olivia said, as she ceased her massage. She sat fidgeting for a few minutes, not knowing what to do. Olivia never felt more helpless than she did now. She was so desperate to hear news about Alfred that she decided to dig up some old news. "So you guys say he woke up before?"

Rachel nodded. "Just before we arrived here, when we were still in the ambulance, Alfred opened his eyes and looked around."

"He didn't say anything?" Bruce asked.

"No," Alex grimly replied. "The paramedic tried speaking directly to him, but…it didn't look as if Alfred understood him."

"Then he just closed his eyes again," Rachel said dismally.

"How long has he been in the ER?" Dick complained. "You'd think somebody would at least let us know what's going on."

"They're doing all they can for him," Bruce said calmly. "And we'll know how he's doing soon enough."

Olivia stared at Bruce, who outwardly looked like an oasis of calm; yet she knew full well that he was just as frustrated as the rest of them--and he no doubt felt just as helpless.

Olivia let out a sigh as she settled back in her chair.

**B&B**

'Ok, everything's set,' Holly thought, as she looked over all of the packed suitcases on her bed and double-checked each one to make sure it was securely closed. Her entire life was presently boxed up in these little cases--most of which were kept packed, in case she and Selina had to bug out of town in a hurry; this was something that occurred more often than either of them cared to admit. At least now they were leaving town in a more leisurely pace.

She left her bedroom and walked into Selina's, fully expecting her partner to be finished packing. However, to Holly's consternation, Selina's suitcases all sat on her bed still empty. And Selina was nowhere to be found.

She walked out of the bedroom and into the living room, where she found Selina lounging on the sofa, reading the Sunday paper.

"What are you doing?" Holly asked. "I thought we were leaving today."

"We were, until I saw this," Selina said, holding up a picture of a large diamond that was in the paper. The Eye Of Isis, Holly! It's one of the largest diamonds in the world, and it's on display right here in Gotham City, starting today."

Holly shook her head. "Selina, no!"

"How can I just walk away from this Holly-my-girl?"

"Easy, just start packing," Holly told her. "Look, things are too hot for us in Gotham City…or have you forgotten that Batman now knows who we are, thanks to your little partnership with him?"

"I partnered with him to save you," Selina reminded her. "Besides, Batman's got bigger fish to fry than to go after a simple little thief like me."

Selina gazed greedily at the picture of the diamond once more. "Can you imagine what it would be like to have the Eye Of Isis set in a bracelet on your wrist, Holly?"

"I'd probably have to work out with weights just to be able to lift the thing," Holly muttered. She let out a resigned exhale of air as she walked back to her bedroom. "All right, I'll go unpack…."

"Relax, Holly!" Selina called after her. "It'll just be a quick job, and then we'll leave Gotham City right afterward. What can go wrong?"

"Wasn't that what you said the last time?" Holly grumpily replied. "And that was before I got kidnapped…."

**B&B**

Rachel had fallen asleep against Bruce's shoulder when the doctor strode into the waiting room. "Mr. Wayne?"

Bruce gently shook Rachel, who awoke with a start; she momentarily appeared uncertain of her surroundings until she saw the doctor and quickly stood up. Across from them, Dick, Olivia and Alex all got to their feet as well.

"How is he?" Bruce asked the doctor.

"He's stable," the doctor, an older man with graying hair, said. "He's awake now and resting comfortably in his hospital room. The electric shock caused a mild heart palpitation, which we got under control. We'd like to keep him here, under observation for a few days, just to be sure--but we think he's out of the woods."

"Can we see him?" Rachel asked.

"Only two people for now," the doctor pleaded. "And please make the visit very brief. I want him to rest."

After the doctor left, it was quickly decided by all that Bruce should be the first to see Alfred. Dick graciously offered to stay behind so that Rachel could go with Bruce. Bruce noted that Olivia and Alex both looked so exhausted that he urged them to go home and get some rest.

"We will," Olivia said, "but only after we get a report from you on how Alfred's doing, ok?"

Bruce readily agreed, and he and Rachel went to see Alfred in his hospital room. As they rode up in the elevator, Bruce saw that Rachel still wore her casual outfit of jeans with a sweatshirt from last night. Rachel was so eager to ride with Alfred in the ambulance that she didn't even think to get a pair of shoes to wear. Bruce understood why: she had been too concerned about Alfred to worry about anything else.

"You want to stop off someplace and change, first?" Bruce asked. "I think the gift shop sells flip-flop sandals."

Rachel rolled her eyes in exasperation at him. "I've never been one to put on airs, Bruce. You know that. And I'm not gonna start now. Besides, we're supposed to make this a short visit anyway. So I'll head back to the mansion, change, and come back."

Bruce couldn't help but admire the steel will that the woman he loved possessed. There was no mention of the fact that Rachel herself had very nearly become a helpless captive of Two-Face last night. She appeared to have all but shaken the experience off. Instead, all Rachel cared about right now was Alfred.

For his part, all Bruce could think about was hunting Two-Face down and putting an end to his psychotic rampage. But first things first.

They found Alfred resting in bed in a private hospital room. He had an oxygen tube in his nose and an IV drip attached to his arm. There was also a heart monitor hanging over the bed, which showed Alfred's heartbeat to be strong and steady. Bruce was saddened to see how worn out and old the man looked. It occurred to him that he always thought of Alfred--who had become his surrogate father since his parents were killed--as being invincible.

Alfred smiled when he saw them. "Master Bruce, Miss Rachel, how are you two?"

Bruce grinned as he grasped the old man's hand in his own. He was very glad to feel the strong grip from Alfred. It showed him that the indomitable butler may be down, but he was far from being out. "We're good, Alfred. How are you feeling?"  
"Better, apparently, although I can't remember when I was feeling sick," he replied. His expression turned grave. "I-I wish to apologize, sir. To you both."

"You have nothing to apologize for, Alfred," Bruce told him.

"I do," he insisted. "If I hadn't opened the door and let those brutes inside…."

"You couldn't have known, Alfred," Rachel said. "They were all dressed like cops. They even fooled the real police before they started shooting. So please don't blame yourself."

"Have they been captured?" Alfred asked.

Bruce nodded. "The Batman was on the scene."

"Two-Face sent them to kidnap me," Rachel said.

"I suppose we now know who the Batman will be going after," Alfred said. Then he glanced sheepishly at Bruce. "If you wish to relieve me of my duties, sir. I'll understand."

Bruce shook his head. "Now you're acting silly, Alfred. Wayne Manor needs you--I need you."

"We all do," Rachel said.

"We'll be back later," Bruce told him. "Just relax and get plenty of rest."

Alfred nodded slightly, looking weary. "I think I shall do just that, sir. Good to see you're safe, Miss Rachel."

"Good to see you're all right, too, Alfred," she said. "I'll see you later."

Bruce and Rachel returned to the waiting room and filled in Olivia, Alex and Dick on Alfred's condition. Harvey Bullock and Renee Montoya had arrived, and were acting in their official capacity as Rachel's bodyguards for the day.

"Wayne Manor should already have uniformed officers guarding the perimeter," Montoya explained to Rachel. "The Commissioner asked us to be your personal protection until another squad can be set up."

Olivia had news for Bruce. "Harvey was just telling me that the cops who were shot are all gonna make it," she said, looking relieved. "One of them, Raymond Lindsey, was shot in the lung--but he just came out of surgery and it looks very good for him."

"He's a tough kid," Bullock said with pride. "He'll come through with flying colors."

As they all proceeded to leave the hospital, Bullock glanced down at Rachel's bare feet with a disconcerted look. "You, uh, forget your shoes, counselor?"

"Don't tell anybody, but she was raised by hippies on a commune," Dick told Bullock with a deadpan look. "Free love, all the pot they could smoke…you name it, Rachel did it."

"What?!" Bullock said, looking outraged.

"He's just kidding, Harvey," Olivia said with a weary shake of her head. "Relax! Rachel isn't a pothead…."

"Aw, you little punk!" Bullock said. He glared at Dick--who merely flashed him a broad grin.

Bruce found it hard not to smile when Rachel abruptly glanced back at Bullock and held her hand up at him in the peace symbol as she said, "Peace out, Harvey…."

Before they went their separate ways in the parking lot, Bruce gave both Olivia and Alex a warm hug.

"Talk to you later," Olivia said, as she and Alex walked towards their car.

Bruce drove Rachel and Dick back to Wayne Manor, with Montoya and Bullock following behind in their squad car.

Rachel turned in the passenger seat and glanced back at Dick. "It's not that I'm not grateful for what you did for me last night, Dick. I am. But what were you doing wearing that outfit? Who are you supposed to be?"

"Robin," he replied quietly. Bruce and Rachel listened as he went on to explain how his mother had made the suit for him. And how, growing frustrated with the lack of progress over the investigation into his family's murder, he took it upon himself to find some answers. Bruce noted that Dick left out the part about how he intended to kill Rupert Thorne.

After Dick finished his explanation, Rachel shot Bruce a concerned look, as if to say, 'what are you going to do?'

Yet before he could give her an answer, they had arrived at Wayne Manor, which was now surrounded by a cordon of police. Bruce had to show his ID before he could enter the grounds of his own house--but he didn't mind. He was grateful for the added protection for Rachel.

Once they entered the mansion, Bruce automatically expected to see Alfred walking out from the kitchen with a greeting--then his heart sank when he realized that his friend and confidant was in the hospital.

"I'm gonna take a shower and change," Rachel announced, as she ascended the stairs.

"You guys hungry?" Bruce asked Dick, as well as Montoya and Bullock. "I'm gonna make some breakfast."

"No thank you Mr. Wayne," Montoya primly said. "We're on duty."

Bullock shot her an annoyed look. "Since when we can't eat while we're on duty?!"

"It obviously doesn't stop you, Harvey," Montoya said with a roll of her eyes.

Bruce whipped up a meal of eggs, toast and strips of cooked ham. When Rachel joined them in the breakfast nook, she was dressed in a more conservative outfit that consisted of dark jeans with matching style shoes and a ruffled blouse.

She held out her arms, as if for inspection, and said, "Does this outfit meet with your approval, Detective Bullock? I no longer look like a hippy reject?"

Everyone at the table broke into laughter--save for Bullock, whose face turned a beet red with embarrassment.

"You no longer look like somebody who's about to lead a protest on the college campus, Rachel," Dick said jokingly.

Although he enjoyed the meal, and the company, Bruce bided his time; he was eager to get into the Batcave. Rachel must have sensed his restlessness, for once she was finished eating, she rose from the table. "I'm going to go back and visit Alfred again. I take it you have some 'work' to do here, Bruce?"

He nodded. "Yes, I do. Give Alfred my love, and tell him I'll see him later."

Bullock and Montoya left with Rachel, leaving Dick alone with Bruce at the table. He waited until he was sure they had all left, then Dick said, "You're going out as Batman, aren't you?"

"Not during the daytime," Bruce said, as he cleared the dishes and placed them in the dishwasher. "But there's still research to do."

"What kind of research?"

"One of the thugs who tried to kidnap Rachel mentioned a name: Bernie. I'm going to see if I can find out who that is."

Dick frowned. "That's something of a longshot, isn't it?"

"We know Two-Face employs ex-convicts," Bruce replied, as he dried his hands with a towel. "So I can start by looking up all of the Bernies in the Gotham City Correctional System."

"That sounds pretty tedious."

"Detective work usually is, Dick. But the payoffs make it all worth it. You coming?"

He nodded. "Wouldn't miss another visit to Batman's lair for anything."

**B&B**

Chloe sat nervously in the food court at the Shocase Square Mall. Since it was Sunday, the place was jammed packed with people, and Chloe considered herself lucky enough to have found this empty table. She glanced at her watch, which read 12:06 pm, and then gazed anxiously around the vast food court in a vain attempt to spot Lana. One man, who looked as if he thought of himself as being a real lover-type, caught her eye and tried to flirt with her by giving Chloe a wink.

In response, Chloe just shook her head in disgust and kept looking for Lana. Not having heard from her since their phone call was abruptly cut off, Chloe hoped that Lana was all right.

Chloe did a double take when the man who had winked at her came up to her table. Before he could even say a word, Chloe flatly said, "Not interested; keep going."

"You're a little uptight, aren't you?" the man said, looking annoyed.

"I'm meeting my boyfriend here," Chloe lied. "It's the first time I've seen him in several years. He just got out of prison--for killing a guy who he thought was trying to steal me away from him. Oh, there he is now," Chloe added, waving to an imaginary man in the crowd, "hey there, killer! Over here!"

Chloe smiled as the man practically ran away from her.

'Moron,' Chloe thought, as she watched him leave. When her cell phone rang, she quickly answered it. "Hello?"

"Chloe?" It was Lana. "Listen, I can't meet you right now."

"Lana, are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm sorry I cut off the call last night, but I couldn't talk. Are you still in Gotham City?"

"Yes, but--"

"Can you stay there for another day or so? That's still the best place for us to meet, but I don't know when I'll be able to get there."

'Looks like I'll be enjoying the sights of Gotham City for a while,' Chloe thought, as she let out a sigh. "Yeah, I can stay for another day, maybe two."

"Wonderful. If you don't hear from me before then, wait for me at the same place tomorrow."

"You mean at noon in the Showcase Square food court?"

"Yes. If you don't hear from me before then, just wait for me there tomorrow. See you soon."

Chloe was about to ask a question when she realized that Lana had hung up on her again. As Chloe shut her phone off, she wondered if Lana was truly onto something--or if this was nothing more than an anxiety attack that she was suffering.

'Still, any chance to take down Lex Luthor will be well worth the effort,' Chloe thought, as she got up and left the table. It wasn't long before her empty table was quickly claimed by a family of hungry shoppers.

**B&B**

From her perch on the balcony above the food court, Mercy watched as Chloe Sullivan walked away from the table. She reached up and slightly touched the slender walkie-talkie that hung from her left ear like a Bluetooth device. "Tell me you got that phone call."

"We did," Vince replied. He sat in a van parked outside that was filled with the latest in surveillance equipment. "Lang contacted her to say she's not coming. She told Sullivan to come back here tomorrow, at the same time, if she doesn't hear from Lang sooner."

"Damn it," Mercy said, shaking her head. "All right, hold on."

She pulled out her cell phone and sped-dialed a special number. When the deep voiced man who was her boss answered, all he said was, "Talk to me."

"Lang bowed out of the meeting," Mercy reported. "She told Sullivan to meet her back here again tomorrow--at the same time--if she doesn't call before."

"Hmmm, looks like she's getting the hang of avoiding us," the man said, almost sounding bemused.

"We could just grab Sullivan now, and beat the info out of her," Mercy suggested.

"That would serve no purpose," the man said, after a thoughtful pause. "Our dear Chloe knows nothing at this point--not even where my darling wife is hiding out. No, Mercy; these things take as long as they take. Just keep Chloe Sullivan under surveillance. Lana will expose herself soon enough."

"And what shall we do once we get Lang?"

"Just make it quick," the man said coldly.

"Quick and painless?"

"Of course," the man replied. "She's my wife, after all. It's the _least_ I can do for her."

"Very good Mr. Luthor," Mercy said, as a slow smile spread across her face. "Consider it done."

**B&B**

'Whoa,' Dick thought, as he stared in awe at the Batsuit, which was mounted on a stand in the center of one of the platforms in the Batcave. Behind him, he could hear Bruce furiously typing away on the computer, looking up convicts named Bernie.

"The damn suit looks impressive even when you're not wearing it," Dick commented. "What gave you the idea to go with a bat motif?"

"Because they scare me," Bruce replied, still typing, as he studied one of the computer screens closely.

As Dick walked over, he glanced around at the Batcave once more and shook his head. "It must have taken you a while to build this place."

"The fire actually helped," Bruce said, his full attention still on the computer, which displayed several pictures of men who were all named Bernie. "It was easy to build all of this while we were rebuilding the Manor. We simply diverted stuff down here. None of the contractors really knew what we were building."

Dick was stunned. "There was a fire?"

"Yep, whole place burned down. It was caused by Ra's Al Ghul. It's a long story."

"I take it this Ra's Al Ghul was a bad guy?"

Bruce nodded. "You could say he was my first super villain, along with Scarecrow. Ra's was also my mentor."

"Your mentor?" Dick said, shocked. "You mean like a Yoda-type deal?"

"Like I said, it's a long story." Bruce sat back and stared at the men on the screen.

Dick noticed something. "Hey, these files are from the Gotham City Department Of Corrections. How did you get them?"

"I have my methods," Bruce muttered. He pointed at one of the men on the screen. "And all but one of these are from the GCDOC. That one did time in Arizona. And he looks good as the man we're looking for."

Dick read off the name. "Bernard Romano? What makes you so sure it's him?"

"Simple process of elimination, Dick," Bruce said. "He was one of a group of fifty men named Bernard who have been paroled within the past few years. He didn't serve his time here in Gotham, but he's the only one who's living here now. The other ex-convicts named Bernie who reside in Gotham City are either too old or dead. Which makes Mr. Romano our most likely suspect."

"Unless the real name of the guy the thug was talking about is Guido, and they only call him Bernie as a nickname," Dick countered.

Bruce switched off the computer and stood up. "As I've said, it's a process of elimination; I'll check out Romano tonight--and if he's not our man, then we're back to square one."

Dick couldn't help but be impressed with his dedication. "You going out now?"

Bruce shook his head in the negative. "I'm going to visit Alfred in the hospital for a few hours, first. Then I'll hit the streets."

Dick watched as Bruce started to leave, apparently unconcerned that Dick was staying behind in the Batcave. "It doesn't bother you that I'm staying behind here?"

Bruce stopped and turned to face him. "Should it bother me? Are you saying that you're not trustworthy?"

Dick gave an awkward shrug. "No. It's just…well, something's been bothering me. Mainly, why did you take me into your confidence like this? I mean, why reveal the fact that you're Batman to me?"

"I wanted to show you just how much I understood your position." Bruce glanced thoughtfully at the floor for a moment. "Do you trust me, Dick?"

"Absolutely!"

"Then you'll trust me when I say that, from this point forward, Batman will handle your family's murder case," he said. "I swear as Batman that I will bring Thorne to justice for you and for your family. Do you accept that?"

"Yes," Dick said, moved. "Thanks…."

Bruce nodded. "If you accept that, then you should also accept the fact that, with Batman on the case, there's no longer any need for you to go out as Robin."

Dick thought on that for a second, then said, "Yeah. If Batman brings Thorne to justice, then Robin will retire his wings."

**B&B**

Olivia was startled awake by her phone.

Although it was just after twelve, she and Alex were sleeping in today for two reasons--the first being that it was Sunday, and the second was because of the extremely late night they both had last night.

The half-asleep Olivia automatically reached to answer the phone when she realized that a still-sleeping Alex was sprawled over her body, which prevented Olivia from moving.

"Let the answering machine get it," Alex mumbled grumpily. Her unruly blond hair completely covered her face, and to Olivia she looked like Cousin It from the Addams Family.

"Who is this speaking to me?" Olivia jokingly murmured, as she gently cleared the hair from Alex's face. "Oh, Alex, it's you!"

"Ha, ha…." Alex sarcastically muttered, while still trying to remain asleep. "Very funny…."

"Olivia! I heard about Alfred!" Barbra Gordon plaintively cried, as she left a message on the answering machine. "OH GAWD! I hope he's ok!"

"Move, sweetie; move it," Olivia muttered, as she practically shoved a startled Alex off of her. She sat up on the side of the bed and quickly grabbed the phone. "Barbra, honey? It's Liv."

"Liv!" Barbra said, as she began to bawl openly on the phone. "A-Alfred's not gonna die, is he?"

"Alfred is going to be just fine," Olivia firmly told her. "Babs, just take a deep breath and listen to me, ok? Did you take a deep breath?"

"Y-Yeah," she replied, her voice sounding calmer.

"You know what a tough old bird Alfred is, right? He'll be just fine."

"But he's in the hospital!"

"The hospital's only keeping him for observation," Olivia said. "I spoke with Bruce, and he told me that Alfred was doing great; his spirits are up, and everything."

"I wish I could see him," Barbra said, still sounding sad. "Mom doesn't want to take me up while dad's still sleeping."

"How about if Alex and I take you to see Alfred later?" Olivia asked.

"We will?" a surprised Alex said, startled out of her sleep.

As she continued to speak on the phone, Olivia reached over and tickled her lover in the stomach as a reprisal for that snarky remark. In response, Alex let out a giggle as she backed away from Olivia's reaching hand.

Once she got the information on where and when to pick up Barbra--as well as receiving the ok from her mother--Olivia hung up the phone and turned to face Alex, who was kneeling on the bed while holding a pillow up in front of her like a shield.

"You fight dirty," Alex muttered.

"I fight to win, my love," Olivia informed her. "Now, come here…."

"Catch me, first!" Alex cried, as she leapt off the bed.

'What would people think if they knew that the head of the Gotham City Special Victims Unit was chasing a Gotham City ADA around their home like a pair of kids?' Olivia mused, as she walked to the doorway.

Yet before Olivia could even leave the room, Alex ambushed her by jumping in front of her and whacking Olivia with the pillow. Olivia wrestled the pillow away from Alex, who ran for her life into the living room.

'Oh, to hell with what people think,' Olivia thought, as she gleefully gave chase to Alex.

**B&B**

'Nobody home,' Batman thought, as he looked over the apartment where Bernard Romano lived.

As soon as night had fallen over Gotham City, the Batman set out on his quest to find Two-Face's henchman, in the hopes that finding Romano would lead the Dark Knight to Two-Face himself. Yet Romano was out, and from the looks of the place, it appeared that he had been away for several days.

'Which might be a very bad sign,' Batman thought.

He considered waiting for Romano--until he spotted the Bat-signal high above in the night sky.

'Romano will have to wait,' Batman thought, as he jumped through the window and executed a somersalt, landing perfectly on the sidewalk. He ran to the Batmobile, got in, and drove off in the direction of police headquarters.

Arriving at the stately building, from whose roof the Bat-signal emitted, Batman shot a grappling line into the air. When the metallic claw on the end gripped the edge of the building, it pulled him up to the roof. Once he leapt over the edge of the roof, the sight that greeted him was enough to give Batman pause.

Commisoner Gordon stood chatting…with Superman.

Their conversation appeared extremely casual--with Gordon asking Superman how was the weather in Metropolis. Yet judging from the uneasy way that Gordon held himself, Batman gathered that he wasn't the one who lit up the Bat-signal this time.

He approached closer to the men, and then said, "This a private party, or can anybody join in?"

Gordon jumped back in shock--while Superman glanced over in surprise. "Hello, Batman," he said, smiling. "I must apologize; for I'm the one who lit up the Bat-signal. I could think of no better way of contacting you."

"Actually, I've been meaning to get in touch with you," Batman replied. "What do you know of a woman named Mercy? She's stocky, with dirty blond hair; about mid-twenties…."

"Mercy Graves?" Superman said, frowning. "She works for Lex Luthor. Have you encountered her?"

"You could say that. During our 'encounter' she mentioned you. Specifically, she mentioned having taking you down. She was working with a gang who were blackmailing an outside contractor into stealing a very specific item for them from the Star Labs here: fish that had been exposed to radiation in outer space."

Superman grew thoughtful. "I haven't heard anything about this. But that sounds just weird enough for Luthor to be involved in. Let me check into it on my end, and I'll get back to you."

"Appreciate it. I assume there was another reason you had wanted to contact me?"

"Yes," Superman said. "I'd like to extend an invitation to you to join the Justice League."

Batman stared at him as if he were insane. "You want me to join…_the what?!_"

**B&B**

"Everybody ready?" Two-Face said. When he received a chorus of nods, he added, "Ok, blow it!"

Tommy twisted the detonator switch, and, around the corner, the massive bank vault door exploded off of its hinges.

When the smoke cleared, Two-Face raised his hands in a grandiose manner and said, "Now go get paid, boys!"

His crew, which was recently enlarged by the new recruits, all ran into the vault to load up the empty bags they'd brought.

When he noticed how nervous Bernie looked, Two-Face smiled broadly. "Relax, Bernie! You worry too much!"

"We disconnected the alarms when we broke into the place," Bernie said. "But you never bothered to check if the vault has any alarms, Two-Face. For all we know, there may be an army of cops on the way."

"Let them come, Bernie," Two-Face said, with a knowing smile. "Let them come…."

**B&B**

Batman was already on his way back to Bernard Romano's place when he received the police dispatch call about the bank robbery over on Halliway Avenue.

The Batmobile's tires screeched as Batman threw the vehicle into a violent 180 degree turn--but it was nothing that the car couldn't handle. Soon, Batman was headed in the opposite direction, towards the bank robbery.

As he came up on the local branch of the Twin Sentinels National Bank, Batman saw several vans parked in the street--all with their rear cargo doors open and facing the bank, as if expecting to make a massive withdrawal.

As Batman pulled the Batmobile up inbetween two of the vans, he saw the ringleader emerge from the bank, with several armed men.

It was Two-Face.

**B&B**

"It's Batman!" Bernie cried. "We gotta warn the guys cleaning out the vault, Two-Face!"

Yet if Two-Face was displeased at the sight of the Dark Knight, he didn't show it. Instead, Bernie was stunned to see that his boss looked very pleased.

"Relax, Bernie," Two-Face said, smiling broadly, "everything's going _exactly_ according to plan…."

**To Be Continued...**


	10. Chapter 10

_My thanks, as always, to piecesofyourheart, AnotherChance, futureforensic, RebelByrdie and Abby for their kind words of encouragement._

**Batman & Benson 3**

**Chapter Ten**

Two-Face abruptly waved his arms like a conductor leading an orchestra, and the goons surrounding him opened fire on the Batmobile. Batman remained within the safety of his vehicle, which was unharmed as the bullets merely bounced off of its armored skin. Batman recognized the man who stood next to Two-Face as being none other than the very same Bernard Romano whom he had sought.

While his goons continued firing, Two-Face gestured to another man, who clicked a remote in his hand.

Before Batman could even respond to the gunfire, the parked vans on either side of the Batmobile both exploded into fireballs. Batman grunted as the force of the explosion rocked the Batmobile, and knocked the group of gunmen back to the ground. Apparently they had been just as surprised by the blasts as Batman was.

'It doesn't pay to be working for Two-Face,' Batman grimly thought, as he drove the Batmobile onto the sidewalk, making sure not to hit any of the downed gunmen who were strewn all over the ground. His quarry ran around the side of the bank, heading toward a small park.

Batman gave chase to Two-Face, Romano and the third man for as long as the sidewalk lasted. When he came to a retaining wall, which the men had climbed up over, he had to reluctantly bring the Batmobile to a halt. Glancing up, he now saw what they were running for.

A Vietnam-era Huey helicopter hovered low over the small park behind the bank. It came to a landing, allowing Two-Face and his boys to climb on board. Batman got out of the Batmobile and ran for the chopper, which abruptly took off.

When it became clear that he would not reach it in time, he considered shooting a grappling line at it. But it became clear that once Batman was caught dangling from the chopper, he could be bashed against the surrounding buildings--something which he was sure Two-Face would enjoy doing.

So he did the next best thing.

He pulled out a homing emitter from his utility belt, attached it to a grapple gun, and fired it at the underside of the chopper. The bright red flash that Batman saw underneath the Huey's body confirmed for him that the homing emitter was firmly in place. Batman might not be able to directly follow Two-Face in person, but he could still learn where his hideout was located.

Watching the chopper as it flew off, Batman realized something: one half of it was covered with rust spots, while the other half looked as neat and pristine as if it had just rolled out of the factory.

'You're really stretching the Two-Face motif to the limit, aren't you, Harvey?' Batman thought, as he got inside the Batmobile and switched on a hand-held pad.

The homing tracking system was actually set up on the main computer back in the Batcave, but the signal was relayed to this held-held unit. Batman had created this redundancy within the system so his quarry could still be tracked no matter what happened to his equipment out in the field.

'Two-Face isn't the only one who does things in twos,' Batman thought, as he drove back to the street, passing a police cruiser that was responding to the crime scene.

'Wait a minute,' Batman realized. 'Twos…Two-Face…oh Harvey, you crazy bastard….'

Last night, Two-Face crashed the gate at Rupert Thorne's mansion just so he could send a message: in the form of the half-burned body of Thorne's lackey. But almost at the same time, Two-Face's goons launched their assault on Wayne Manor in an attempt to kidnap Rachel. It was a two-pronged attack, with the assault on Thorne's being nothing more than a diversion for the attempted kidnapping of Rachel. And tonight, in his robbery on the Twin Sentinels National Bank, Two-Face didn't get away with any money at all--and Batman had noted that this was something that Two-Face didn't appear to be too broken up over.

"This was just another diversion," Batman muttered, as he glanced down at the tracking screen. It showed Two-Face's helicopter leaving the Gotham City limits. "Two-Face isn't headed to his hideout, he's headed for his real score!"

Noting the direction in which the chopper headed, Batman was willing to bet that Two-Face was on his way towards Rupert Thorne's country home. And with a large part of the Gotham City police force now tied up at the Twin Sentinels bank robbery attempt, this would be the perfect time for Two-Face to strike out at Thorne.

"Damn it," Batman muttered, as he pushed the petal to the metal. 'Of all the nights I decide to leave the Batwing home,' he angrily thought, 'it had to be this one!'

**B&B**

For Dick Grayson, being left alone in the Batcave was almost as good as being left alone in a comic book store. Wait, who was he kidding? Being in the Batcave was WAY better than being in any comic book shop. It was almost as if he had died and went to geek heaven.

The Bat computer alone was an awesome set up. Multiple flat screen TVs, all capable of displaying every single cable channel in crystal clear high def. Dick sat in the chair, presently watching four movies, two anime TV shows, and an MTV reality show--all at the same time.

'I could really get used to this,' he thought happily. 'All I need is popcorn.'

One of the movies, a Jet Li action film--which was on the center screen--was abruptly switched off, replaced by a flashing red 'ALERT' sign.

The sound was cut off as a computer voice imposingly said, "Alert, alert, alert," over and over.

Dick, startled, stood up and helplessly stared at the screen. Not knowing what he did--nor what to do now--he sheepishly said, "Um, sorry!"

The alert was replaced by another message that read: 'Homing tracking system engaged.'

Then the center computer screen switched to a display that showed a blinking red dot that traveled over a map of the greater Gotham City area. The dot was out of the city proper, and traveling over the countryside, where Wayne Manor was located. It went past Wayne Manor, and continued on a Northwestern track.

The dot arrived at a section on the map that was labeled 'RT Estate' in bold highlight. Manipulating the mouse, Dick placed the cursor over that label, and it expanded to read: 'Rupert Thorne's Estate.'

"Thorne!" he said aloud in shock. All along that bastard's country home was just a few miles up the road from here.

The dot appeared to hover around the estate, and Dick ached to know what was going on up there.

"To hell with it," he said, memorizing the address. "I'm gonna find out."

Shutting off the movies and other entertainment--but leaving the tracking system running, just in case Bruce needed to see it later--Dick left the Batcave and went upstairs. Once in his bedroom, he put on his Robin costume then put on his street clothes over it. Stuffing the mask into his pants pocket, Dick went down to the garage, where he mounted the BMW.

He rode the bike out past the police cordon, waving to the cops as he passed them by. Then, once he knew he was all alone on a desolate dirt road, Dick pulled off his clothes, revealing the Robin costume. Stuffing his street clothes into one of the cargo cases, Dick slipped the mask on and then took off on the BMW, headed for Thorne's place.

Dick didn't know what was happening up there, or what he would do--and he felt guilty about breaking his promise to Bruce--but he just couldn't let this opportunity to meet Thorne face to face slip by.

**B&B**

Chloe sat curled up on the sofa in her motel room, trying to read a crappy paperback she'd just bought, when her cell phone rang.

Picking it up, she gasped when she saw it was a call from Lana. Placing the phone to her ear, she said, "Hello?"

"It's me," Lana said. "I'm in Gotham City right now. Can I meet you right away?"

"Yes!" Chloe said eagerly, tossing the book away. "Where and when?"

**B&B**

"Mercy!" Vinnie called from his seat in the back of the van.

A curtain at the front flew open as Mercy peered back at him. "What?"

"Lang just called Sullivan," Vinnie told her from his control panel in the back of the van. "They're meeting in the park just across the street from the Gotham City Museum of Natural History in fifteen minutes."

Mercy smiled broadly. "About damn time. Let's go!"

**B&B**

As Robin approached Thorne's country estate, he rode the BMW as far as he dared before he finally parked it on the side of the road behind some thick foliage. He could hear the gunfire from here, and it sounded like a full-scale war was waging just down the road.

Robin went the rest of the way on foot, crouching down so as to not get shot--accidentally, or otherwise. The front gates had been smashed in by the same armored car that crashed the gate at Thorne's city mansion. The truck was parked in front of the house, with all of its doors flung wide open. He could hear something with a large motor roaring close by.

Taking cover behind the thick trunk of a tree, Robin peered out and saw an old helicopter, looking like it was straight out of the movie Apocalypse Now, hovering over the house. It landed on the grass, and Two-Face emerged from the smashed-out patio doors with a group of goons. They carried large bags of what looked like money and other swag that they stole from the mansion.

A second team of heavily armed goons left the mansion and quickly got into the armored car. As they drove off, the helicopter also took off into the night sky.

Once Two-Face and his goons were gone, Robin stepped out from behind the tree and stared at the estate. It was quiet, very quiet. Robin ran towards the house. Although there wasn't much that he could do against a well-armed army like that, the least Robin could do now was go see if anybody inside needed his help--anybody except Thorne, of course.

Entering the shattered home, Robin saw bullet holes everywhere, along with the bodies of several thugs laying on the floor, still gripping their guns. They were beyond anybody's help, so Robin stepped past them and went down a hallway, where he was saddened to see the body of a woman lying dead on the floor. There was a bullet hole in her forehead, and her last surprised expression was still frozen on her pretty face.

Seeing a doorway at the end of the hall, Robin went through it and found Rupert Thorne. Or what was left of him.

Thorne sat back in a chair, in the center of a spacious office, his arms tied to the arms of the chair. At first Robin thought that Thorne's neck was tied, as well. Yet when he got a better look, he became sickened.

Rupert Thorne's head had almost been decapitated from having been strangled from behind by razor wire.

'Razor wire,' Robin thought, holding his hand up to his mouth in disgust and horror. 'Sweet Jesus….'

"Take a good look," a male voice said from behind.

Robin, startled, whirled around to face whoever spoke in a full combat stance. He relaxed when he saw the Batman was standing there.

"I said, take a good look," Batman told him, his voice sounding angry. "There's your vengeance, Robin. Thorne is dead…killed in the worst possible way. Feel better, now?"

"I-I'm gonna be sick," Robin muttered, feeling woozy.

"Do not throw up!" Batman firmly ordered him. "If you do so, you'll be leaving behind DNA evidence which can be used to trace you."

"This is just an insane game to you, isn't it?" Robin said.

"If you lose at this game, you will get killed," Batman said, his tone of voice softening as he stared at Thorne's body. He glanced at Robin. "We should get out of here, now. There's nothing we can do for them."

Robin followed Batman down the hallway, passing the body of that poor woman once more. He was so stunned by the entire scene that Robin followed Batman to the Batmobile, completely forgetting the BMW bike that he had parked further up the road.

"Wait, I gotta ride the bike back," Robin said.

"Not any more," Batman said, gesturing at a column of smoke that arose from down the road. "I got rid of it. You've probably been seen riding it, and it became something that could have been traced back to Wayne Manor, thanks to the license plate. You're riding back with me."

Robin was so shaken by the scene of death and carnage around him that he didn't even give the destruction of the BMW bike a second thought. As he got into the Batmobile, all Robin could think about was that poor dead woman.

Batman was quiet for a time as he drove the Batmobile down a narrow country road. Then he said, "What are you thinking, Dick?"

"About that woman back there, she didn't look like she was a part of the mob."

"She _was_ a part of the mob," Batman said. "Her name was Candace Leopold, and she worked for Thorne in an administrative capacity. She never picked up a gun; yet she was responsible for running Thorne's criminal empire for him, much like a major-domo."

"She was no angel," Robin said. "But she still didn't deserve to be killed like that."

"Agreed. She deserved to serve time in prison for her actions, not be murdered like she was. But that's what happens to somebody when they get in the way of vengeace, Dick. Two-Face was coming for Thorne, and nothing--and nobody--was going to stand in his way."

"Two-Face is a monster," Robin darkly muttered. "He needs to be stopped."

"He will be, Dick. He will be."

**B&B**

'Perfect,' Catwoman thought, as she hunched down on the rooftop.

Across the street from her, the Gotham City Museum of Natural History was closing down for the night, with the last of the staff walking out a side door.

'Just wait a few more minutes, and the place should be empty of everybody but security guards,' Catwoman thought with a smile. She looked forward to toying with security guards--they were always so much fun to scare. Since the security system in the museum was of the garden variety version, ripping off the Eye Of Isis will almost be too easy, so Catwoman figured that she might as well have a little fun on the side.

She did another sweep of the street, and was pleased to see that it was empty--which was typical for a late Sunday night. Catwoman spotted a blond woman in the park across the street. The woman looked around impatiently, as if waiting for somebody. She didn't look like an undercover cop to Catwoman--but one could never be sure.

Catwoman watched as another woman with dark hair arrived in the park, walking brisky towards the blonde. The blonde waved to her in greeting. The dark haired woman, seeing the blonde, waved back as she strode across an walkway intersection in the park--

--and then she was flung ten feet in the air as a van abruptly came out of nowhere and struck her.

"OH MY GOD!" Catwoman cried in horror. She watched as the blonde ran towards the dark-haired woman, who lay very still on the ground. The van came to a stop at the edge of the park and several people--two men and a woman--got out and stared back.

The woman abruptly pointed back at the blonde, who was bent over and administering aid to the stricken dark-haired woman. And Catwoman instantly recognized who the woman who got out of the van was.

It was Mercy.

All thoughts about raiding the museum, of having fun with the security guards, of stealing the Eye Of Isis…all of that vanished from Catwoman's mind as she glared with loathing at the woman by the van.

"Mercy," Catwoman snarled hatefully.

**B&B**

"LANA!" Chloe cried, as she ran towards the woman who lay on the ground. She had watched in terror as the van suddenly appeared on the walkway and deliberately mowed her down.

When Chloe arrived, Lana lay staring straight up at the night sky. There was a trickle of blood that flowed from the corner of her mouth, which was moving slightly, as if she was trying to saying something.

"No, honey, don't talk," Chloe said, as she carefully placed her hands on the strickened woman's body. "Just relax. I can help you, Lana. Just relax."

Chloe knew that this would be a major healing job, one that would take a lot out of her--and the van that tried to kill Lana was idling near by. But she had no choice; if Chloe didn't move, and quickly, Lana would die right here. Right now, Chloe didn't care about the message that Lana was trying to give her. All that mattered was saving her life.

Despite the agitation that she felt, Chloe calmed herself by taking a deep breath, and concentrated on healing Lana. Soon she felt the familiar tingling warmth flow from her hands, surging into Lana's broken body.

**B&B**

"What's she doing?" Vince asked.

Mercy, Vince and Phil had gotten out of the van to make certain that the Lang bitch was dead--only to see Chloe Sullivan kneeling over her, with her eyes closed and her hands on Lang's body. After doing this for several seconds, Chloe then abruptly flinched, as if receiving an electric shock, and then she fainted dead away on the ground.

"Damn it," Mercy said, suddenly remembering a report she'd read once on Chloe Sullivan. "She's a mutant, with healing powers. She probably just healed Lang of all her injuries!"

"She's a mutant?" Phil looked worried. "She's not one of them X-Men, is she?"

"I don't know, and I don't care," Mercy said. "Just get over there and kill them both!"

"But what if the other X-Men show up?" Phil said nervously. "One of them's pretty scary; he's got these metallic claws that stick out of his hands, see, and--"

"The sooner you plug them, the sooner we can get the hell out of here," Mercy said, losing her patience. "I'd like to avoid the cops just as much as these X-Men of yours, Phil!"

Vince patted Phil on the shoulder as he pulled out his gun. "She's right, Philly. C'mon, let's make this a quick hit and spilt this scene."

"I'll keep watch," Mercy told them, as she remained by the van. She glanced around the square in front of the museum, and was pleased to see that there didn't appear to be anybody around--at least not yet.

'Come on, come on, what's taking you morons?' Mercy thought, as she waited to hear the sound of gunfire behind her. 'How long does it take to pop a couple of dumb broads?'

When nothing happened, Mercy turned around and glared at the men. "Damn it, what's taking so--?"

Mercy stopped dead at the sight that greeted her.

Phil and Vince lay sprawled out on the ground, while a very angry-looking Catwoman stood above them, glaring directly at Mercy.

Mercy reached for her gun, but just as she brought it out, the gun was knocked from her hand by Catwoman's whip--which the feline burglar expertly lashed out with in time.

"Payback's a bitch," Catwoman said, as she strode over to Mercy. "And so am I!"

**B&B**

"This is for Holly," Catwoman snarled, as she slugged Mercy in the face. As the woman staggered back, Catwoman stepped forward and belted her again on the other side of her face, knocking her to the ground. "That was for me!"

When Mercy, who lay on the ground, tried to get back up, Catwoman walked over and kicked her in the chin. Mercy fell back down to the ground with a grunt, now unconscious.

"And that was just for being a rotten little skank," Catwoman whispered harshly at the prone woman.

With Mercy and her goons down for good, Catwoman turned her attention to the two women who lay on the grass. The dark haired one was struck by the van, and as Catwoman knelt beside her, she expected the woman to be dead. But to Catwoman's amazment, the woman's pulse was strong and steady; she appeared to be in a deep, relaxing sleep.

"What the hell?" Catwoman murmured. She was glad to see this woman was all right, but seeing how she was truck dead on by that van, Catwoman couldn't help but be amazed.

The blonde woke up and stared fearfully at Catwoman. She appeared to be very weak, for she could barely move. All she could do was raise one hand slightly and say, "No…."

"Easy, darling," Catwoman assured her. "I may be a thief, but hurting people isn't my game. You and your friend are safe with me."

"Is Lana…all right?" the blonde asked.

Catwoman nodded. "She's sound asleep. And for somebody who just got hit by a van, she's in great shape." She frowned, recalling that the blonde had knelt by Lana with her hands over her body. "Did you heal her?"

"Y-Yes," the blonde said.

"What's your name?"

"Chloe…."

"That's a neat trick, Chloe." Catwoman glanced up at the sound of voices coming down the pathway. When she went to investigate, she saw a trio of young men--looking to be in their early twenties; college students from Gotham U, most likely--all gaping over the prone bodies of Mercy and her henchmen.

"Aw, dude, look at this!" one of them said in awe. "You think the Batman did this?"

"The Batman was just here?" another replied. "That's awesome!"

The third man saw Catwoman staring at them. Stammering anxiously, he tapped the shoulders of his friends and pointed at her.

Catwoman merely shook her head in disgust as all three men stared at her in a mixture of fear and wonder. "What are you dweebs gawking at? You mind calling 911?" She gestured at Chloe and Lana. "We've got people who need medical attention here!"

**B&B**

"Ok," Olivia said, as she placed the last of the pizzas down on the kitchen table. "That's all of them."

Alex placed a stack of paper plates on the table as Barbra began to greedily open one of the pizza boxes.

Rachel got a set of plastic cups from the cupboard and placed one on the table for each diner: for herself; Olivia; Alex; Barbra; Bullock and Montoya, as well as two for Bruce and Dick. She wished Alfred were here to join them, but took solace in the fact that he was looking much better when they left him in the hospital. The doctor said that he was doing so well that they were considering letting him go home tomorrow, which would be great news.

Rachel stared at Barbra, who was busy serving both Bullock and Montoya a slice of pizza each. Bullock cast an uneasy gaze on the girl, and muttered something about how wrong it was to have the police commissioner's daughter serving dinner to a mere palooka like him.

Barbra paused to gave Bullock a frown. "What's a palooka?"

Rachel smiled, as she shook her head slightly in disbelief. 'And to think that this sweet kid is Batgirl!' she thought.

Olivia had told her earlier, when they were alone during a quiet moment at the hospital, and Rachel had been stunned. She was even further stunned to find out the reason why Barbra had become Batgirl: because she was madly in love with the Batman.

'Can't say I blame her,' Rachel thought. 'There are times, when Bruce is wearing that Batsuit, that I just want to--'

"Are Bruce and Dick home?" Olivia asked.

Rachel was startled out of her little daydream. "Um, I don't know, Liv. Let me check the 'study.'"

"Wait, wait!" Bullock said, as he quickly dropped his slice back onto the plate. "We gotta go with you! We're your protection, y'know!"

Rachel suddenly found herself in a quandary--she was about to go and see if Bruce and Dick were in the Batcave, but she couldn't very well do that if Bullock was going to come with her.

Thankfully, Olivia came to her rescue. "Harvey, Renee--you guys stay and eat," Olivia said. "I'll go with her."

"Thanks for that," Rachel said, as she and Olivia walked down the hallway. "I was wondering what to say to them."

Olivia just smiled as she shook her head slightly. "You know, if somebody had told me a few years ago that I'd be helping to cover for a superhero, I would have thought they were nuts!"

However, their mirthful mood had evaporated once they reached the Batcave. Bruce sat at the computer, trying to locate some information while Dick, still clad in his Robin costume--sans his mask--angrily paced around the floor behind him.

"It's over for you now," Bruce was saying when the women entered.

"But I've told you that it's no longer about vengeance," Dick said. "I want to help you out, now."

"I work alone," Bruce said flatly.

"What happened?" Rachel asked.

"Rupert Thorne is dead," Bruce told her. "Two-Face killed him, along with most of his people."

Rachel shared a stunned looked with Olivia. "Did this just happen recently?" Rachel asked.

Bruce nodded. "Two-Face hit him at his country home, just a few miles from here. I followed his chopper using a homing emittor, but was too late." He glanced sharply at Dick and added, "We both were too late."

Dick cast a sheepish look at Rachel--and she got the feeling that his going out as Robin was something he did on his own.

"We tried following the homing beacon after the attack," Bruce said. "But Two-Face was smart enough to ditch the chopper and set fire to it in a field. So we still don't have any leads as to where his hideout is."

"And what's going on here?" Olivia asked. "Between you two?"

"I was just explaining to Dick that, since Thorne is now dead, there's no need for Robin to stay in business."

"But now that I've seen the type of evil that you fight on an almost daily basis, I still want to help," Dick insisted. "I could watch your back out there, Bruce."

"It's not that I don't appreciate the offer, Dick, but--and I say this for the last time--I work alone."

The way Bruce said it made it sound very final--and as much as Rachel agreed with his decision, she still couldn't help but feel sorry for Dick, who glared at the floor as he slowly shook his head with frustration.

"Hey Dick, we've got plenty of pizza upstairs," Olivia said, trying to lighten his mood. "We could sure use your help in eating it. So what'd you say?"

"Sorry, Liv," he muttered, as he left. "But I wouldn't be very good company tonight."

Rachel and Olivia stood awkwardly as Dick stalked out of the Batcave. Bruce continued searching on the computer, until he sat back with a heavy sigh. "Damn it…."

"You made the right decision," Rachel told him.

"It's not that," Bruce said, as he got up. He was still clad in the Batsuit, without the cape and cowl. "I've realized that our friend Two-Face has a fixation on the number two. He operates using a two-pronged attack method. Last night, he rammed the gates of Thorne's city home while sending a team here to abduct Rachel. Tonight, he launched an attack on a bank while sending an advance team over to Thorne's country mansion. He joined them via chopper. And the name of the bank he hit was the Twin Sentinels National Bank."

"Just what we need," Olivia said with disgust, "another super villain with a weird motif…."

"I've been trying to find any location within Gotham City involving the number two that he might be using as a hideout," Bruce said. "But so far, I've come up with nothing."

"Well, why don't you take a break and have some pizza with us?" Rachel said. "Provided you change out of the Batsuit, first."

Bruce shook his head. "Can't."

"You got someplace you gotta be?" Olivia asked.

"Actually, yeah, I do," Bruce said. "Superman has invited me to join a group of superheroes that he's forming. There's a meeting tonight, out in the woods near Metropolis."

"What?" Rachel said, puzzled. "Is this some kind of a bowling league, or something?"

Bruce chuckled at that. "Nothing so prosaic. As Superman explained it, it will be a league of superheroes who will help fight crime and help humanity all over the world." He glanced at Olivia. "Their name is the Justice League. He says he got the name from you, Liv."

Olivia's eyes were comically wide with shock. "What?! No…when did he…?"

"Last year, just after Superman and Supergirl helped us defeat the Riddler's robot army," Bruce prompted. "We were standing in the street, and you suggested that we--Superman, Supergirl and me--start a group?"

"OH MY GOD!" Olivia said, looking mortified. "I never thought he'd take me seriously! I was just nervously babbling away…I mean, what was I supposed to say to freaking Superman?! 'Hey Supes, how are ya?'"

"Well, you've certainly said enough," Bruce said with a teasing smile. "This is all your fault, Liv. I hope you're happy."

"Bruce, knock it off," Rachel told him. From the way these two carried on with each other, she could almost swear they actually _were_ siblings. "What are you going tell them?"

"I'm not about to join a superhero group anymore than I'm about to take on a crime fighting partner," Bruce replied. "Normally, I would just blow this thing off. But since it was Superman who asked me to attend, I feel I owe it to him to at least be there."

Rachel nodded. "We'll tell everybody that Lucius called you away with a boardroom emergency. And we'll keep some pizza in the fridge for you to reheat later."

"Great, thanks. I won't be too long," Bruce said.

After they had left the Batcave, Rachel noticed Olivia was unusually quiet in the elevator ride up to the second level. "You all right, Liv?"

"I'm still dazed," she admitted. "The thought that somebody like Superman would even pay attention to me, to what I have to say, is just….wow! You know?"

"I'm not really surprised," Rachel said, smiling. "You can be a pretty persuasive person, Liv."

**B&B**

"I'd like to thank everybody for making it tonight," Kal-El said, making sure that his voice was loud enough to be heard over the crowd.

And what an impressive crowd it was, gathered as they were in the clearing of the heavily wooded area. Wonder Woman stood by his side on the massive flat rock that they used as a natural stage. Standing before them was the Flash, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Hawkman, Hawkgirl and Supergirl.

"You called us all here to join something called a Justice League?" Green Arrow said. He pulled the emerald hood he wore back from his face, revealing a youthful-looking man with blond hair and a goatee. "Hope you realize that I don't have any superpowers worth a squat."

Black Canary stood by his side; her expression appeared to be just as wary as Green Arrow's tone of voice.

"It's not just an exclusive club for people with superpowers," Superman told him. "Both Wonder Woman and I have come to realize that there are a great deal of heroes in the world today--people both with and without powers--who are making a difference. And it's my hope that this new group will help all of us to better help others."

Kal-El noted that Green Arrow's response to his statement was to share a skeptical look with Black Canary. Both Green Lantern and Supergirl nodded their heads in agreement. The Hawks both stood as impassively as a pair of Egyptian statues and were thus unreadable. The Flash raised his hand like a schoolboy.

Wonder Woman gestured at him. "Please, Flash, if you have something to say, then speak your mind freely."

"Um, I was just wondering why you didn't invite the Batman," the Flash said.

"Yeah," Black Canary added. "Ollie and I were wondering the same thing, too."

"We heard that the Batman was a vampire," Hawkgirl said, with a look of disapproval in her eyes. "Would such a being even be worthy of joining a group of heroes?"

Green Arrow and Black Canary both burst into laughter at that.

Angered, Hawkman turned towards them and said, "Did she say something humorous?"

"You have no idea, featherhead," Green Arrow said, still chortling. "And you're even funnier than she is!"

"Batman isn't a vampire," Superman assured them all. "I worked with him during the seige of Gotham City by the robotic army that was unleashed by the Riddler. Trust me, he's as heroic--and human--as they come."

"The reports I heard said you were largely responsible for fighting off those robots, Superman," Green Lantern interjected.

"Both Kal-el and I were taken captive by the Riddler, and subjected to kryptonite," Supergirl spoke up. "The Batman came and saved us. If it weren't for the Dark Knight, neither Superman or I would even be here today."

Kal-el, realizing how much Kara had disliked the Batman, was deeply impressed at how she had defended him just now. He nodded at her in approval--to which she just shrugged and added, "Just stating a fact, cuz."

Green Arrow gestured at Supergirl as he glared at Hawkman. "Hear that? Huh? Does that sound like a vampire to you, birdbrain?"

Hawkman's hands balled into fists as he took several threatening steps towards Green Arrow. "I grow weary of listening to you speak…."

"Then just try and stop me," Green Arrow said, as he reached behind his back for his bow. "I'll pluck your feathers so fast, you'll--"

"Whoa! Whoa, Ollie," Black Canary said, stepping in front of him. "Back off, right now. We didn't come here to fight."

"But he did," Arrow said, nodding at Hawkman. "And I figure, why disappoint him?"

Hawkgirl had also stepped in front of Hawkman to stop him as well--until she did a double take at the large green shield that had magically appeared between them and Green Arrow. It came from Green Lantern's ring.

"How about if everybody just calm down," the Lantern said. "Ok?"

"Great advice, GL," Kal-el added, letting out a sigh of relief. For a moment there, he thought he would have to break up a fight between those two.

Wonder Woman stared at the scene with regal distain and slowly shook her head. "Men," she said with obvious disgust. "Always fighting like little boys…."

"Hey, what?!" the Flash said, annoyed. "I'm just standing here, minding my own business. We're not _all _bad, princess!"

Before Kal-el could put this new fire out, he was stopped when a bone-chilling voice called out from the darkness: "Interesting bunch you've assembled here, Superman…."

That caused everyone to stop and take notice. "Who the hell said that?" Hawkman wanted to know.

"Great Hera!" Wonder Woman said, startled. She pointed off to the side.

Kal-el saw it as well. The Batman emerged from the blackness that lay just beyond their meeting space as if he were actually taking form from it. The Dark Knight appeared to have stepped out bodily from the shadows.

"Oh my God," Black Canary said in awe to Green Arrow. "It's really him, isn't it?"

Green Arrow nodded as he grinned broadly. "Dude sure knows how to make an entrance."

As the Batman approached Superman and Wonder Woman on the stone stage, the Amazonian Princess instinctively reached for her golden lasso, as if getting ready for combat. Kal-el grabbed her wrist and held it there; he was probably one of the few people on the planet who could do that to Wonder Woman.

For his part, Batman coolly looked Wonder Woman over, as if sizing her up as a potential threat.

"Easy, Diana," Superman said. "If you trust me, then you can trust him."

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Supergirl cried. "He may be creepy, but he's still one of the good guys! All right? Sheesh!"

"Still as boisterous as ever," the Batman dryly said to Superman, "isn't she?"

"Nice seeing you, too, Bats," Supergirl muttered.

"It _is_ good to see you," Kal-el told Batman. "Thank you for coming."

"Well, you can hardly turn down an invite from Superman," Batman said.

"Um, excuse me? You wanna settle a little argument here, Batman?" the Flash asked. "Are you a vampire or not?"

The Batman turned and glared at the Flash--until the Scarlet Speedster took an involuntary step backwards. "Ooookay, then, let's just pretend I never said a word, alrighty?" the Flash anxiously said.

"Have you thought about what I asked you on top of police headquarters?" Kal-el asked.

"My answer still stands," Batman said firmly. "I must decline your invitation to join the League. Gotham City keeps me very busy."

"You came all the way out here just to turn him down?" Hawkman asked.

"I owed it to him," Batman explained. "If it weren't for Superman, and Supergirl, Gotham City would be in pretty bad shape right now."

"Which should be all the more reason why a group like this would work," Kal-el said, not giving up so easily. "There's strength in numbers, Batman."

"I work alone," Batman said bluntly. Then he raised his glove to his face and said, "Come here."

"Uh, did he mean us?" the Flash asked, confused.

Everybody was further startled when an obsidian-black craft arose silently from behind the cliff on which Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman all stood. The cockpit slid open, revealing an empty seat within.

Turning to Superman, Batman added, "Good luck--looks like you'll need it with _this_ crew."

Batman then jumped into the seat of the craft, which closed over him as it abruptly swung sideways and soared off into the night with a flare of its rear jets.

"Ok, now _that's_ cool!" the Flash stated. "I want one of those!"

"You're the fastest man alive," Green Lantern told him. "You don't need that thing."

"I know," the Flash said, smiling. "But I still want one."

Hawkman and Hawkgirl glanced at each other--then they both nodded, as if in agreement. Their wings expanded to their full span as they both lifted off into the night sky.

"Hawkman, Hawkgirl, wait!" Superman called.

Hawkman hovered over Kal-el. "We thank you for considering us for membership, Superman. But we are not interested at this time."

With that, the Hawks both flew away into the night.

Kal-el was disheartened to see Green Arrow and Black Canary were now leaving. "Thanks, Supes," Green Arrow called over his shoulder. "But this ain't really our scene, y'know? See ya around!"

Green Lantern abruptly brought his hand to his ear and listened to a sound that only he could hear. Then he said, "I'm needed on Oa. Good luck with the team, Superman."

"Are you still joining?" Supergirl called after him--yet Green Lantern, who had already shot up into the night sky, was well out of hearing range.

The Flash stared at Kal-el, Supergirl and Wonder Woman with an awkward expression on his face. "Sorry guys…."

"You're not thinking of joining?" Kal-el asked. "Why?"

"If it's about that remark I made earlier," Wonder Woman said, "then I apologize, Flash."

The Flash gestured at the three of them. "You three are among the most powerful people on the planet, while I'm just a guy who can run very fast. I probably wouldn't be able to offer much to the group. Um, I gotta go, too; I have an early day tomorrow."

"Would you please just reconsider your descision, Flash?" Superman asked.

"Um, yeah, I'll think about it," the Flash uneasily said, just before he sped off into the night.

Kal-el found himself standing with just Diana and Kara by his side. Despite their presence, the clearing still felt very lonely.

"Sorry Cuz," Supergirl said sadly.

"I'm not giving up," Kal-el said.

"It's still a good idea," Wonder Woman told him. "One well worth fighting for."

"Shouldn't have invited Batman," Kara said glumly. "Everybody left right after he did. What an arrogant jerk!"

"Don't blame him," Kal-el quickly said.

"No, she's right, Kal," Diana said. She angrily glared up in the direction where Batman had left. "He may not be a vampire, but he's still inhuman."

**To Be Continued...**


	11. Chapter 11

_My thanks to Another Chance, The Old Man, Pieces Of Your Heart, and D. J. Scales for keeping me honest. I always appreciate all your comments. Keep 'em coming. _

**Batman & Benson 3**

**Chapter Eleven **

Early Monday morning, Elliot looked over his desk in the SVU bullpen, making sure he wasn't forgetting anything for the trip. Dani stood waiting impatiently for him by the door. "You coming, Elliot?"

"Yeah, yeah, keep your pants on," Elliot said, good-naturedly. Then, when he was right next to her, he added in a whisper: "You can always take them off in the hotel room later, right?"

But Dani wasn't in the mood. "C'mon, Stabler," she said, shaking her head in an annoyed fashion. "The sooner we get going, the sooner we can get this trip to Gotham City over with."

Fin gave her a sideways glance. "Somebody sure got up on the wrong side of bed today, huh?"

"Yes," Munch agreed. He glanced at Elliot and said, "Which side does she usually get up on, anyway?"

"This is why I'm in a hurry to leave," Dani told Elliot, as she pointed at Munch and Fin. "So we can get away from these clowns."

"Clowns?" Munch said, looking deeply offended. "_We're clowns_?!"

"I never liked clowns," Fin muttered.

"You're afraid of clowns?" Munch shot back. He stood up and exclaimed: "Attention, everybody, it's official: Fin is afraid of clowns!"

"Whoa, I never said I was afraid of clowns," Fin angrily protested. "I just don't like them! There's a difference, Munch!"

"How can you not like clowns? That's un-American!"

"A second ago you were offended when she just called _you_ a clown!"

"That's not the same thing," Munch said sagely.

After a few seconds of witnessing this bizarre exchange, Elliot gave Dani a nod and said, "Yeah, I see what you mean. The sooner we get the hell out of here, the better."

"Give our regards to Liv," Fin called after them.

"And to Batman," Munch added. Turning to Fin, he said, "I'll bet Batman likes clowns!"

"You're very weird, Munch," Fin said with a shake of his head. "You know that?"

"Yeah, Batman…just what I really need to see," Dani said with disgust, as she and Elliot walked through the doorway, "more damned superheroes…."

Cragen came out of his office just then and waved at them. "Elliot, Dani, hold up!"

"Come to see us off, Cap?" Elliot jokingly asked, as he and Dani walked back over to their squad commander.

"As long as I don't hear another Batman joke," Dani muttered. "So help me…."

"You two aren't going to Gotham City," Cragen told them. "At least not just yet."

Elliot frowned. "Why? What's wrong?"

"We've got a problem," Cragen told them, "a big one."

**B&B**

When Rachel arrived at her office that morning, she was informed by her secretary that the New York City District Attorney had been urgently trying to reach her.

"Thanks, Sylvia, I'll call him back as soon as I get settled in," she told the elderly woman.

Rachel placed her bag on her desk and removed her suit jacket and hung it up. There was so much to do, so much to plan--in addition to her usual day of overseeing the prosecution of cases, Rachel also had to start making preparations for tomorrow night's annual Nathaniel Rose charity ball.

'And, on top of all that, there's the press conference concerning Boss Thorne's demise,' she thought wanly. On the one hand, Rachel wasn't exactly sorry to see Thorne go, yet she wasn't looking forward to talking about how he was killed, or who killed him.

There had been an initial agreement between her, the Mayor and Jim Gordon to try and keep Two-Face's antics out of the press as much as possible--yet that was becoming harder to do every time he showed his face on the streets. Several witnesses clearly saw him battle Batman at the Twin Sentinel bank heist well enough to give a good description to the cops on the scene; as well as to reporters, who have started referring to the "new mob boss in town" as Two-Face in both print and on TV.

'Sorry Harvey,' Rachel thought with a sigh. 'But you only have yourself to blame.'

Rachel's reverie was interrupted when her phone rang. It was Sylvia, who sounded very frazzled. "I'm sorry, Ms. Dawes," she said. "But it's Mr. McCoy…again! He says he really needs to speak to you."

"That's all right, Sylvia, I'll take it right now."

The call switched over to Jack McCoy, the District Attorney of New York City. "Rachel?" he asked in his gravelly voice. "Sorry to keep hammering at you like this."

"Good morning, Jack," Rachel said. "I got into the office just now. Is there a problem?"

"Is there ever," he said. Then McCoy began to explain the situation.

Rachel's eyes grew wider with shock the more she listened to McCoy. When he was done, all she could think to say was: "Are you freaking kidding me?!"

**B&B**

Gordon arrived at Police Headquarters early Monday morning to find Bullock and Montoya were already there, in the midst of an intense session in one of the interrogation rooms. They were both yelling at a young, stocky blond woman who sat looking very casual, despite the battered bruises on her face.

Gordon looked over the arrest report and saw that her name was Mercy Graves, no known address--at least not in Gotham. When he knocked gently on the two-way mirror, Montoya left Bullock in the room with Graves and came out to see him.

"What's her story?" he asked.

"She was arrested with two men, and charged with vehicular assault," Montoya informed him. "They deliberately ran their van into a woman while in the Clancy Street Park."

"Shouldn't they also be charged with murder, as well?" Gordon asked.

Montoya shook her head. "The woman, Lana Lang, survived. Don't ask me how, sir."

"Well, I take it that she's in pretty bad shape," Gordon said. "You don't just walk away from being hit head on by a van."

Montoya gave him a sheepish look. "Apparently, Ms. Lang did, sir. She's resting comfortably at Angel Of Mercy hospital. Like I said, we're not exactly sure how she managed it, but she did."

"Listen to me!" Bullock roared, as he leaned over the table in the interrogation room. "I don't know who you're protecting, here, missy. But this jerk ain't gonna give two squats when you get sent up the river! So do yourself a big favor, and tell us who it is you're working for, and we may just go easy on ya!"

Graves merely gazed at him coolly. "You know, you cops always say that--that the jail is up river. Is it _really_ up river? I was just wondering…."

Bullock slammed his fist on the table. "You're gonna find that out first hand, you little punk!"

"Really?" Graves said, smiling. "Then I guess we have nothing further to discuss here, huh?"

"Damn," Gordon muttered, shaking his head. "Either she's really crazy, or she knows something that we don't."

"The two guys she were with won't talk, either," Montoya told him. "But there was something different about them. They weren't as smug as Graves is, they were really scared, sir."

"Anything in the van?" Gordon asked.

"About several thousand dollars worth of high end surveillance equipment," Montoya replied. "When we tried to access the information stored in the main computer, it did an automatic disk wipe before we could stop it."

"Which means that whoever they're working for, they have very deep pockets," Gordon uneasily said. "How did Graves get so beat up?"

"From Catwoman."

Gordon stared at her in shock. "Catwoman?!"

Montoya gave him a helpless shrug. "Witnesses at the scene said she was there, and that she was the one who caught them, sir."

"First she tries to rescue that poor soul who was killed at Star Labs, and now this," Gordon said. "What's Catwoman trying to do, make us give her the key to the city?"

"Maybe she thinks that'll be easier than trying to steal it," Montoya said. She glanced into the room and saw Bullock was so uptight that he appeared to be on the verge of having kittens. "I'd better get back in there, sir. Harvey's 'bad cop' act is really wasted on this bitch."

Gordon nodded. Deep down, he didn't think they were going to get anything out of Graves. She was too smooth, and completely immune to their tactics.

'We're dealing with a hard-core professional here,' Gordon realized. 'She'll never give up who she's really working for.'

He shook his head, feeling a wave of frustration rise within him. Jim Gordon had the uneasy feeling that this incident was the tip of a very large and looming iceberg.

'Something big is coming,' Gordon warily thought. 'Something very dark and scary, and I'd give my pension to find out what it is, before it smacks us all in the face. Whatever the hell it turns out to be, I just hope we can handle it before it's too late.'

**B&B**

As soon as Kal-el heard about what happened to Chloe and Lana, he took flight. Within minutes, he arrived at Angel Of Mercy hospital in Gotham City, landing in the parking lot, just behind the dumpsters. He quickly changed into his Clark Kent guise and briskly walked around to the visitor's desk, where he asked about Chloe Sullivan and Lana Lang.

The nurse told him their room numbers--they were in adjoining rooms on the fourth floor--and gave Kal-el a visitor's tag.

When Kal-el entered the first room he encountered, he found Chloe in the process of sitting up in bed. She looked as if she had just woken up, and smiled brightly when she saw him. "Clark!"

"How are you?" he asked, concerned.

"Um, I'm fine!" Chloe replied, in her usual perky manner. "Just had a great sleep. The doctors are going to release us today."

"The both of you?" Kal-el asked, surprised. "I heard Lana was struck by a van."

"Yes, but I healed her," Chloe said. "Which was how I managed to get myself knocked off my feet as well."

"What happened?"

When Chloe told him the whole story, Kal-el was stunned. "Catwoman saved you guys?!"

"Yeah, of call people," Chloe said, looking amazed as well. "She even had some guys call 911 for us. Imagine that?"

"Sounds like a great story for your old wall of weird," Kal-el commented. "You said that Lana was trying to warn you about something Lex was doing?"

"Yes, but she wouldn't tell me on the phone, and I didn't get the chance to ask her since we were brought here," Chloe said. "I only got up just now. She's next door."

"I've spoken with Batman recently," Kal-el told her. "And he said that Luthor has some people here in Gotham City, looking for somebody to steal irradiated fish from Star Labs. You hear anything about that?"

Chloe frowned. "Irradiated fish? No, I haven't heard about that. Any special irradiated fish in particular? I mean, couldn't Luthor just irradiate any old fish he wanted?"

"These were bottom feeders that were exposed to outer space radiation during one of the recent space missions."

"I'll have to look it up, but that's news to me," Chloe said, as she got out of bed and put on a robe. "You want to go see if Lana might be up?"

Kal-el nodded. Then he thoughtfully stared at Chloe for a moment--she immediately took notice by giving him a weird look. "Something wrong, Clark?"

"It's just that I've missed you, Chloe," Kal-el told her. He reached out and gave her a tight one-armed hug. "I'm really glad to see you again. It's been way too long."

"Aw, Clark," Chloe muttered, looking touched. "You're going to make me cry! C'mon, let's see Lana before I really start bawling here."

When they entered Lana's hospital room, both Kal-el and Chloe were surprised to see that she was already awake. Dressed in a robe, Lana sat in a chair by the window, gazing out at the Gotham City sky line.

She smiled warmly at the sight of Chloe--but then Lana's smile faltered when she saw Kal-el.

For his part, Kal-el felt as if his stomach had jumped up and lodged itself in his throat. He had battled Brainiac; saved all the passengers aboard an entire 757, and had even fought off a potential invasion from the mighty Darkseid once--and yet the very same man who was known and loved the world over as the Man Of Steel was anxious at the thought of seeing Lana, his first and true love, once more.

'How long as it been since I've last seen her' he wondered. 'Three years? Four? God, she's still as beautiful as ever….'

"Clark," Lana said, her face brightening. "It's so good to see you."

"It's great to see you, too, Lana," Kal-el replied, as he and Chloe each took seats next to her. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better, thanks to you!" Lana said to Chloe. "I vaguely remember you saving me in the park. Thank you so much, Chloe!"

Chloe waved it off. "It was the least I could do, sweetie."

Lana looked sheepishly at the floor. "I just wish I could remember everything else…." She burst into tears. "Chloe, Clark, I'm so sorry!"

"Easy," Kal-el soothed her. "That's understandable. Chloe may have saved you, but you've still been through a tremendous shock, Lana."

"We're just glad you're all right," Chloe told her.

"I remember feeling so very afraid," Lana said, as she strained to recall her lost memories. But then she shook her head in frustration. "Lex was up to _something_, I know that…it was something very terrible…but I can't remember it!"

"It's ok, Lana," Kal-el assured her. "We've still been warned, thanks to you. Now I can contact Superman and let _him_ know."

Lana glanced up at him with a knowing smile. "I _know_, Clark," she said softly. "Or should I just call you Superman…or is it Kal-el?"

For the first time since he could recall, Kal-el was so stunned that he nearly fell out of his seat. He shook his head, about to instinctively deny that he was Superman--until he saw by the look in Lana's eyes that to do so would be a total waste of time.

He glanced at Chloe, who gave him a helpless shrug, as if to say, 'don't blame me!'

"I've suspected for a long time, Clark," Lana said. "And my suspicions were confirmed on the day of my wedding to Lex, when I saw you rescue Chloe from the freezer in the basement. You peeled that door off of its hinges like it was made of paper." Lana gave Chloe a sheepish look. "I must admit, I was the one who locked you in there, Chloe. Sorry! If my hunch hadn't panned out, I would have released you."

"You've known, since that day?" Kal-el asked.

Lana nodded, smiling. "And since then, I've watched you become a true hero that the world so desperately needs."

Kal-el was burning up with questions; so many flew through his mind that he didn't know where to begin. Yet before he could even ask, Lois Lane abruptly entered the hospital room.

"Smallville?" she said, surprised to see him. "When I last saw you, you were still in the Daily Planet's news room back in Metropolis! How did you beat me to Gotham City?!"

"Clark was just telling us about how he chartered that chopper," Lana told her. "He got here in record time, right?"

"Yes," Chloe quickly chimed in. "The _jet_ helicopter…the really _fast_ jet chopper…."

As Kal-el gave Lana an appreciative gaze, a part of him was still stunned that she was now covering for him. He still recalled when a large part of his life was spent hiding who he really was from her, and the fact that Lana was now protecting his identity--let alone the fact that she knew who and what he really was in the first place--was still a shock.

"Good to see you're all right, Chloe," Lois said, with a nod to her cousin. "I'd ask if you were staying out of trouble, but from the looks of things, that's not the case, huh?"

Chloe just gave her a weary shrug. "Hard to stay out of trouble when you're dealing with Luthor's latest shenanigans."

"Oh, really?" Lois asked. "What's Luthor up to this time?"

"We don't know, Lois," Kal-el said darkly. "But I intend to find out."

**B&B**

"It's good to have you home, Alfred," Dick said.

"It's rather good to _be_ home," Alfred replied with a smile. He sat in a luxurious recliner in front of the TV in the southern sun room. The news was on; it was Alfred's favorite thing in the world to watch. Yet it still bothered Alfred that Master Bruce was busy making lunch, instead of him. "Although I feel like a useless loafer, just sitting around while there are important errands to run."

Dick resolutely shook his head. "The doctor insisted that you take it easy for a few days, Alfred. And that's what you're going to do. Bruce and I can wait on you for a change."

"The heads of the Manor waiting on their servant?" Alfred said with distain. "Hardly seems right, does it, Dick?"

"A lot of things aren't right, Alfred," Dick said darkly.

Alfred gazed at the young man tenderly. "Master Bruce tells me you now have a new hobby? One which requires you to dress up as a Robin?"

Dick chuckled softly. "So much for me keeping my crime-fighting identity a secret from you."

"I'm also told that you wish to continue fighting crime as Robin--even though, with the demise of Boss Thorne, your family's murders have been avenged?"

"I've come to realize that there are other victims of crime out there, Alfred," Dick said. "I'm not the only one. There are thousands of people who are either killed or who continue suffer in silence everyday. And nobody speaks for them. Batman does, and I just want to try to help him, that's all."

"If you wish to stand beside Master Bruce in his battle against crime, then you must realize that you shall also have to face what he faces," Alfred said.

"I can handle anything," Dick said confidently.

"Could you handle the Joker, should he return?" Alfred asked.

Dick stared at him with a stunned expression. "But he's dead."

"The Joker's body was never found," Alfred corrected. "And if there's one annoying habit that the villains whom Master Bruce have fought all seem to share, it's the ability to return when you least expect them to."

"I see what you're doing, and it won't work," Dick told him. "You can't scare me off so easily."

"On the contrary, I think the fact that you wish to join Master Bruce is very noble of you, Dick," Alfred said sincerely. "From all accounts that I've heard, you've handled yourself very well in some rather tight spots. No, I realize you can't be scared off quiet so easily. It's my desire to make sure you know just what it is you're getting yourself into. Master Bruce knows very well, and that is why he's reluctant to see you face the same dangers."

Dick grew thoughtful at that, which pleased Alfred to no end, because he hoped the boy was having second thoughts. Alfred had no doubt that Dick was an extremely decent person, and that his talents would be better served in another direction. In fact, Alfred still hoped that Master Bruce would one day give up his 'nocturnal activities' and find the happiness that has so eluded him.

"There's a breaking story that we have to tell you about," the news anchor on the TV said, glancing down at something on his desk. "In fact, we have several developing stories to inform you of, so let's start by going to Summer Gleason at the Gotham City District Attorney's office. Summer?"

The scene switched to Gleason, who stood just outside the DA's main office building. "Thanks, Dan. We've learned today that the identity of the criminal mastermind behind the rub out of Boss Thorne, a man who was known publicly only as Two-Face, is none other than former Gotham City District Attorney Harvey Dent."

Bruce entered the room with tray containing Alfred's lunch. He placed it on the stand beside the chair that Alfred sat in and swung it so that the meal was directly in front of the old man. He glanced over at the TV. "What's up?"

"They've uncovered the fact that Harvey Dent is Two-Face," Alfred told him.

"It was just a matter of time," Bruce said solemnly. "I know Rachel and Jim were trying to keep it under wraps, in order to try and save Harvey's reputation, but it was bound to get out sooner or later. Harvey's crossed a dangerous line a long time ago."

The screen showed a picture of Harvey's former house servant, Moira, speaking to the press. The young Irish woman appeared overwhelmed by all the attention as she walked up a street with the reporters all crowded around her.

"Moira!" one of the reporters called. "When did you first suspect that your employer was a criminal maniac?"

"When he tried to burn me alive inside his house," Moira replied. "But the Batman saved me."

"Batman?" another reported cried. "Moira, did Batman try to suck your blood?"

"No!" Moira said, as she scowled at him. "Are ye daft, man?"

"Another satisfied customer, sir," Alfred said to Bruce with a smile.

He nodded absently. "Just wish I can find Two-Face's hideout before he can hurt anybody else. I've checked for every conceivable place in Gotham City with the number two in the address, or named after the number, but I still haven't found anything."

"What about places that used to be named after the number two?" Alfred suggested. "Such as The Il Deuces Club?"

Bruce frowned at him. "I never heard of that place!"

"It was an old night club from the 1950s, named for a little play on words of the term Il Duce," Alfred said.

"That's what they used to call Mussolini, wasn't it?" Dick said. "Il Duce, the leader?"

Alfred nodded. "Very good, Dick. The Il Deuces Club was shut down many years ago--but before it was, it was bought out by new owners who ran it unsuccessfully for a time under the new name of The Roxbury."

"The Roxbury," Bruce said, as he hit his hand. "I know _that_ place; it's been closed for years. And if it's former name was The Il Deuces Club, then that makes it the perfect choice for Harvey's hideout."

"I could be wrong, sir," Alfred amended.

"But you rarely are, Alfred," Bruce replied. "And it still bears checking into in any event. You've been home barely a couple of hours and already you've given me a lead. Thanks."

"Always pleased to be of service," Alfred said, smiling.

Dick abruptly turned to them and said, "You know a guy named the Penguin?"

"All too well," Bruce said. "Why?"

Dick pointed at the TV screen. "Look."

"To recap the other big courthouse news of the day," Summer Gleason said on the TV, "Oswald Cobblepot, also known as The Penguin, has been ordered released from prison today by a federal judge, due to a new finding of insufficient evidence."

"WHAT?!" Bruce roared.

The picture on the TV changed to the exterior of Gothika State Prison, where a victorious Penguin strode out the main gates dressed in a dapper suit. Reporters were also crushed around him--but unlike Moira, the Penguin appeared to truly enjoy all of the attention. He fielded the reporters' questions like a rock star announcing a new tour.

"Son of a bitch," Bruce muttered, shaking his head.

Alfred gave Dick a knowing glance. "Just as I've stated before, they have an annoying habit of returning when you least expect them to."

"All the more reason why you guys could use another hand around here," Dick said quietly.

"You really want to help?" Bruce asked him. "You can help me in the Batcave. I need to find the exact address of the Roxbury, and--hopefully--a layout of the floor plans. I also want to get as much news as I can find on the Penguin being released."

"Hey, I'm the boy wonder of research," Dick said, as he followed Bruce out of the room.

Alfred began eating his lunch in peace, as the news continued blaring on about the Penguin's release. Then, once that topic had been run into the ground, the TV switched back to the news anchor. "And now, there's been a further development regarding the accident over the weekend at the local Star Labs facility here in Gotham City. For that, we go to our reporter on the scene, Ken Eastman. Ken?"

A young black man nodded as he raised his microphone to his face. Behind him stood the Star Labs building. "That's right, Dan. As you may recall, over the weekend there was an accidental explosion here at Star Labs, when one of its researchers, a Dr. Victor Fries, was working on an experiment. Unfortunately, the explosion was a lethal combination of an icy gas mixed with another, top secret compound--which instantly killed the doctor, and buried him under tons of ice."

The scene shifted to rescue workers all standing around, having a conference meeting, as Eastman continued to speak. "And so when the rescue team was finally able to enter the lab early this morning, it was for a grim task: to retrieve the body of the late Dr. Fries. But, in a startling turn of events, after shifting through the ice, Dr. Fries' body is nowhere to be found."

Alfred stopped eating and stared with concern at the TV. He wasn't sure why, but there was something about this story that bothered him--something beyond its obvious tragic nature.

"Star Labs officials are keeping very mum on the subject," Eastman added. "They will not allow any reporters near the site, due to ongoing danger of contamination, and when asked if Fries' body might have been disintegrated in the explosion, all they repeatedly say is that they have no comment at this time. The now-missing Dr. Fries' story is even more tragic due to the fact that his wife, Nora Fries, is suffering from advanced stages of McGregor Syndrome, an extremely rare but deadly disease with no cure. She's reported to be in a coma over at Angel Of Mercy hospital, and is not expected to recover."

"Ken, is there any way that Dr. Fries could have survived the explosion?" the news anchor asked.

"No, there no possible way, Dan," Eastman replied with a shake of his head. "The entire lab was blasted with tons of ice, and once this happened, Fries was sealed within by the security protocol that Star Labs has in place whenever an experiment goes awry. And he was trapped in there over the weekend by the extensive ice that covered everything--and yet, his body is now gone. It's a very strange mystery down here at Star Labs."

For some strange reason, Alfred had felt a chill run up his spine after having watched this news report. He shook it off and resumed eating, giving it no more thought. 'They'll probably find the poor man's body in some place where they haven't looked before,' he thought. 'Because, for any person to have survived what they're describing, they would have to be a living iceman, which is quite impossible….'

**B&B**

'Damn, damn, damn,' Olivia thought, as she stood in the Gotham City SVU bullpen, watching footage of the triumphant Penguin as he waddled free from prison on TV.

She went into her office and immediately dialed Alex's number--only to receive her answering machine.

"Not a good sign," Olivia muttered, as she put away her cell phone. Alex could just be out of the office, but something--call it a hunch--told Olivia that she needed to get down there as soon as possible.

Telling Linda where she would be, Olivia left the SVU and walked over to the district attorney's office, which was just across from police headquarters, adjacent to a small park.

She entered the bustling DA's complex and made a beeline for Alex's office, which was dark with the door shut. The blinds were pulled down in the windows and in the glass of the door.

Olivia tapped gently on the glass. "Alex?"

"Go away!" a voice angrily cried out from within. "I'm busy!"

'Oh Christ,' Olivia thought, her heart aching. "Alex, honey, it's me, Liv. Can I come in, please?"

When a tear-filled Alex opened the door for her, Olivia quickly stepped inside and shut the door after her. Alex fell sobbing into her embrace.

"That little bastard kept me in a cage, like I was an animal, Liv!" Alex cried. "Is-is it too much for me to ask that _he_ be caged, too?!"

"I know, baby, I know," Olivia commiserated, as she gently rubbed her lover's back. She glared in contempt at the TV, which showed video of the Penguin laughing and joking with a group of reporters as he strode through the prison parking lot.

"So what are your plans now, Oswald?" one of the reporters asked.

"I'm going to Disneyworld!" the Penguin replied, with a grand sweep of his arms. "Waugh! Waugh! Waugh!"

Once they broke their embrace, the first thing Olivia did was to walk right over and shut the TV off. "We really don't need to see this crap!"

"The case fell apart on both ends," Alex said, as she dabbed her eyes with a tissue. "Both here and in New York."

Olivia shook her head. "I don't get it. How? They caught him red-handed!"

"Apparently, the original evidence uncovered on the slave rings by the New York SVU has been thrown out on a technicality," Alex replied. "The British already have released Neufeld, the Penguin's partner. And when the Penguin's lawyer argued that he be released as well, the judge granted it."

"But what about Annabelle Justino? She was assaulted by the Penguin with that weird gas!"

Alex shook her head sadly. "Annabelle moved out of Gotham City soon after the case was closed, and nobody has been able to track her down in time."

"Ok, this really sucks…." Olivia said, with a shake of her head.

"It's the justice system, Liv," Alex said with a shrug. "We've been handed plenty of disappointments like this before. It's just that _this_ time--"

When Alex couldn't bring herself to say it, Olivia finished the sentence for her: "This time it was personal for us."

"Yeah," Alex said in a heavy exhale.

"You have lunch, yet?" Olivia asked her.

"I'm not in the mood," Alex muttered.

"How about we do some window shopping?" Olivia suggested. "You know, go ogle some of the new fashions over at the Showcase Square Mall?"

"That sounds so superficial," Alex said, with a shake of her head. "But I think that's just what I need right now. I really need to get out of here for a while. You can always read me like a book, Liv. Bless you."

"I'd be a lousy girlfriend if I didn't understand you as well as I do," Olivia said with a smile.

**B&B**

Kal-el, now clad in his Superman garb, flew over to one of the tallest buildings in Metropolis, the Luthor Tower. He hovered outside the penthouse for a time, scanning the building with his x-ray vision. There was nobody home.

Hovering down to the main office level, Kal-el scanned that area until he found Luthor, busy holding a conference with a bunch of executives at his massive desk.

Kal-el entered Luthor's office--straight through the plate glass window. He was careful to pre-heat the glass with his heat vision first--causing it all to collapse into a molten slab on the floor of Luthor's office, and not crash onto the ground below outside.

The group of executives all ran in a frenzied panic from the office at Kal-el's sudden arrival. All except Luthor--who, to his credit, casually glanced over at Superman with an annoyed look on his face.

"Please, Superman, come on in," Luthor said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "By all means, make yourself at home."

Several security guards came running in with their guns drawn. When they got a look at who the intruder was, the fear on their faces was obvious.

"At ease, boys!" Luthor called to them, as he walked out from around his desk. "Superman's an old friend of ours, isn't he?"

The security men all looked extremely grateful to leave.

Kal-el wasted no time. "What are you up to, Luthor?"

"Well, I _was_ running a conference on the new advertising that LexCorp will be running this--"

"Spare me your games," Kal-el snapped. "Chloe and Lana were in the hospital and your goons were the ones who put them there!"

"Really? I didn't know that. I hope Chloe is all right, and Lana, too. We may no longer be married, but I still care for her deeply."

That caught Kal-el off guard. "You and Lana are divorced?"

"The papers just went through the other day," Luthor said with a nod. "I did all I could for the poor woman, tried to get her the best help that money could buy, but I'm afraid that her paranoid delusions were just too much for me to put up with on a daily basis."

Kal-el shook his head in disgust, seeing what Luthor was trying to do. Make the first strike by discrediting Lana; that way, whatever she says has no creditability. "You can't weasel your way out of this one, Lex. Mercy Graves, who works for you, has been arrested by the Gotham City police for vehicular assault on Lana."

Luthor looked surprised. "She has? Well, that explains why she hasn't shown up for work today…."

"You're telling me you know nothing about this?" Kal-el said in disbelief.

"What my employees do during their private time is nobody's business but their own, Superman. LexCorp can't be held responsible--"

"I'm getting sick of your double talk," Kal-el told. "If you won't tell me what you're up to, fine. I'll just find out for myself. Just understand this: if you--or your goons--ever lay a hand on either Lana or Chloe again, you'll regret it, deeply."

He turned and flew out the smashed window.

"I must say I really do enjoy these chats of ours, Superman!" Luthor cheerily called after him. "Although, you might want to consider using the door next time…."

**B&B**

Two-Face sat back and watched as his henchmen were all still in a celebratory mood over their rub out of Boss Thorne last night. And he really couldn't blame them, for he had wanted to celebrate with them. Yet something was nagging at him. Then he realized what it was: it was the simple fact that there was still so much left to do.

He had so far killed Herby Laughlin, the man who threw the acid at his face, which scarred him and turned Two-Face into what he was today. And now, he had eliminated Boss Thorne, the man who had been a major thorn in his side back when he was a district attorney. But there were still so many left to kill before his thirst for vengeance could be sated. There was the Dawes bitch, who took his job away from him, as well as Gordon--who, Two-Face had no doubt, had plotted with Dawes to usurp Two-Face from his rightful place as District Attorney.

All of them, including Batman and that other bitch, Benson, thought they had gotten the better of Two-Face, didn't they? Well, now that he was done with Thorne, they were all next: starting with Dawes, whom Two-Face wanted more than anyone else. Dawes, that miserable little slut, would pay dearly…oh, yes, she would! Two-Face had special plans for little Ms. Gotham City District Attorney; she wouldn't die right away, oh no, he wanted to make her suffer…to writhe in agony, all while he caressed her sweet young face.

"To Two-Face!" one of his men said, raising a glass of wine. "The new crime lord of Gotham City!"

Harvey Dent was suddenly startled to find himself sitting in what looked like an abandoned night club, with a bunch of armed goons whom he would normally have prosecuted without a second thought. 'Is this a dream?' he wondered, as he gazed over the run-down nightclub, which was empty--save for the band of thugs who celebrated like there was no tomorrow. 'Am I really here?'

He was startled when the row of boarded up doors were abruptly smashed in by a monstrous black vehicle that had rudely invaded the nightclub. The thugs all froze, startled, as this heavily armored thing--which looked more like a squat tank on wheels than a car--sat there, reving its engine.

'Batman,' Two-face thought, enraged. 'How dare he?!'

"Looks like the Batman has found us boys!" Two-Face said, standing up. "What say we give him a warm welcome?"

With that, Two-Face picked up an assault weapon and opened fire on the Tumbler, which was the Batman's very first vehicle, and--if Two-Face had anything to say about it--will soon become the Dark Knight's tomb.

His entire crew opened up on the Tumbler with everything they had, blasting away at the armored vehicle as they all jeeringly called out for the Batman to just try and come out.

'He's trapped,' Two-Face realized, grinning malevolently. 'The Batman is as good as dead.'

And that was when he noticed the smoke.

Behind him, a wall of milky-thick smoke steadily enveloped Two-Face and his men, most of whom were still too focused on shooting at the Tumbler to even notice.

And within that wall of smoke, arose a large, bat-like shadow.

'Oh, Christ,' Two-Face thought with fear. 'The car was just a distraction!'

"HE'S NOT IN THE CAR!" Two-Face shouted at his men. "HE'S BEHIND YOU!"

But it was already too late.

One of his men was pulled screaming into the smoky mist. Then another, and then a third. Finally, several of the boys had noticed what was happening, and they spun around, aiming their guns into the smoke that slowly, creepily engulfed them. But they were all abruptly knocked down by a table that had been flung right at them from within the smoke.

Then Batman emerged from the smoke and threw something at the floor. It exploded with a bright flash that stunned Two-Face's eyes. As he struggled to clear his vision of the after-flash, Two-Face could hear plenty of excited yelling and screaming coming from his men. They were abruptly stifled by the sounds of punching.

"It's too soon," Two-Face angrily said, as he raised his gun at what he thought was a shadowy figure in the mist. "No, I'm not ready for you yet, Batman!"

"You never were, Harvey," a cold, deathless voice said from all around him. "Give it up."

"NEVER!" Two-Face roared, as he opened fire crazily with the assault weapon. His eyes hadn't still completely recovered from Batman's flash bomb, but it didn't matter--Two-Face shot down anything that moved, including a large dark object that emerged from the mist before him.

Yet despite the fact that he blasted it full of holes, the object remained standing stoically before him, causing Two-Face to cease fire as he glared at this thing, trying to make out what it was.

That was when he heard the hissing sound.

The mist parted just then, revealing a large metal tank with the word 'propane' written on the side.

"Oh, sh--" Two-Face started to say--

--just as the tank exploded.

**To Be Continued...**


	12. Chapter 12

_My thanks to futureforensic, Zarathustra1030, RebelByrdie and D.J. Scales for their kind words. _

**Batman & Benson 3**

**Chapter Twelve **

"Hell of a mess," Gordon said, with a heavy sigh, as he surveyed the blasted out ruins that was once the old Roxbury nightclub. The street behind him was covered in flaming wreckage, which the firefighters were busy putting out. Fire engines of every size and color surrounded him, their emergency lights flashing, their heavy diesel engines vibrating loudly.

He walked over to where they had the prisoners. The men, who all worked for Two-Face, sat on the ground with their hands cuffed behind their backs. Many of them had the dazed look of having survived through an explosion. Gordon doubted they even knew what was going on right now. He turned to one of his uniformed commanders and told him to be sure to make a stop at the hospital with the prisoners, just to be on the safe side.

He was about to walk back to the burned out shell that was the Roxbury when Gordon saw his chief forensic examiner, Jordan Cavanaugh, standing by with her people. They had a stretcher and their equipment all ready to go, but so far, were unable to put them to use.

"Slow night for you, huh?" he called to her.

Cavanaugh chuckled. "Usually it's a good thing when my services aren't required, Commissioner."

"Let's hope it stays that way tonight," he said, walking back into the ruins of the Roxbury. After consulting with the fire chief, who said that the structure itself was still stable, Gordon did what he could to poke around the burnt-out husk of the building.

"Jim," a voice called out from the shadows.

Gordon involuntarily jumped at that voice, which was all too familiar. He looked around for the Batman, but could not see him. "Where are you?"

"Here." He emerged from the darkness right in front of the commissioner. "Have you found Harvey yet?"

"No," Gordon grimly said. "Although all of his men are accounted for. Good job with saving them, by the way. Thanks to you, nobody else was killed."

"Except for Harvey," Batman said, with a slight hitch in his voice. "Didn't want for it to end this way…."

"It's still too early to assume that Harvey's no longer among the land of the living," Gordon told him. "But even if he is dead, don't blame yourself. He was the one who fired into that propane tank, not you. And from what I've heard about that situation, it sounded like Two-Face didn't want to be taken alive--and if that _was_ the case, then he made his choice, Batman."

"True, but that doesn't mean I have to like it," Batman replied.

"There's nothing to like about this entire damned case," Gordon muttered, as he solemnly gazed over the wrecked nightclub. "The only thing we can hope for now is hope that it's finally over. Look, why don't you take off, Batman? I'll let you know if--"

Gordon stopped when he realized he was speaking to himself…again. Batman had already left.

The head CSU technician came up to him and said, "We looked everywhere, Commissioner, but there's no sign of Harvey Dent's body."

Gordon simply began to shake his head slowly.

The CSU techie held his hands up. "Yes, sir, I know. We'll do another sweep of the whole place--just to make sure."

"Good man," Gordon said with approval. As the CSU team began another search of the ruins, Gordon went back outside. He wanted to put out an APB on Two-Face. If they found his body here, he can always cancel the APB--but until then, Gordon would assume Two-Face was still on the lam and as dangerous as ever.

**B&B**

When Batman drove into the Batcave, he switched off the Tumbler and sat back in the seat for a second. The automatic parking pad slowly began to spin the vehicle around so that it faced outwards--and as it did, Batman became Bruce Wayne once he removed the cowl from his head. He felt horrendous. He couldn't shake the feeling that he had failed badly tonight.

He hit the button that opened the canopy and got out of the Tumbler. Bruce was startled to see someone was waiting for him on the upper platform, next to the computer.

It was Rachel. Barefoot, with her long black hair unbound, she was clad in her pajama bottoms and a camisole as she smiled warmly at him. "Everybody's already asleep. But I thought I'd wait up for you. Welcome home."

"It's not exactly a victorious homecoming," Bruce said, as he ascended the steps to where she stood. He began stripping off the Batsuit and placing it piece by piece on its stand. "It looks like Harvey might be dead--thanks to me."

"You can't blame yourself," she said.

"That's what Jim just told me."

"He's right, Bruce."

He pulled on a pair of jeans and then wearily sat down on the bench. "I appreciate what you're trying to do, but no amount of platitudes will help me tonight, Rachel."

She came up from behind him and began to knead his bare shoulders and neck with her hands. "Then how about this?"

"Oh, God, that feels wonderful," Bruce said with a relieved sigh. "Thanks."

"You need a night off," Rachel said, as she continued to expertly massage him up and down his back. "If Two-Face is really gone, then this might be the perfect time for Batman to take a break."

"And what if he isn't really gone?" Bruce asked.

"Then take a break anyway," she said. "Just one night off. You need it, Bruce."

He glanced up at her, a slight smile on his lips. "You asking me out, lady?"

Rachel smiled back. "As it so happens, tomorrow night's the Nathaniel Rose Charity Ball. And I _could_ use an escort."

"Ah, I knew there was an ulterior motive."

She playfully squeezed his sides, which made him flinch. "What would the world think if they knew that the Dark Knight was ticklish?"  
"All of my enemies would probably invest in feathers," he said, with mock grimness. Then, after a pause, he added: "Yes."

Rachel stopped massaging his back long enough to peer down at him. "Yes…what?"

"I'll go with you to the ball, my fair lady," he told her. "That is, if you'll have me."

Rachel hugged him tightly from behind. "There's no one else whom I'd rather be with, my Dark Knight."

**B&B**

Bernie couldn't believe his luck.

He had been late to the celebration at the old Roxbury club because--well, frankly, he didn't want to go. He had been recruited into Two-Face's mob against his will--and was forced to remain in the mob, thanks to constant threats against Ellen and Darleen. Bernie had actually been glad to see the new guys--volunteers who weren't coerced--join Two-Face's crew, because he took their presence as a sign that he could quietly fade into the shadows and leave.

But then he received the call earlier, from Two-Face himself, who demanded that Bernie show up at the party.

"Just because I've got more enthusiastic boys working for me now doesn't mean I'm going to ignore you original blackmail-guys," Two-Face said in his usual sadistic manner. "Get over here, now."

And so Bernie reluctantly went to the night club, fully expecting to be treated like dirt by Two-Face and the new guys…only to find that the hideout was literally a burned away shell, with the Gotham City Police and Fire fighters crawling all over it. When he asked a spectator what had happened, the guy told him that Two-Face had gone up against the Batman--and Two-face had lost, big time. The entire crew had been captured, with Two-Face reportedly dead.

Bernie quickly left the scene, feeling as if the weight of the world had been lifted off of his shoulders. Finally, this nightmare was over! He automatically headed over to Ellen's house, in the hopes that he could explain the situation to her, and that she would take him back.

He arrived at the apartment and rung the doorbell. He had a key, but Bernie didn't use it; he didn't want to appear too presumptuous.

Little Darleen answered the door. Bernie was stunned to see that the girl had been crying. She glanced up at him through tear-filled eyes and whimpered, "Oh, Bernie…."

He bent down and held her in his arms. "Sweetheart, what's wrong? Where's mommy?"

"The monster got her," Darleen said, as she stared with wide-eyed terror down the hall. "He made me answer the door, while he stayed with mommy…."

'Aw, Christ, no!' Bernie thought, as he stood up and pulled out his gun. "Get behind me," he told Darleen, "and, no matter what happens, you _stay_ behind me, ok?"

Darleen nodded. She clung to his leg as Bernie slowly went down the hall with his gun raised. When he called Ellen's name, his heart sank when that all too familiar deep voice replied, "In here, Bernie!"

Entering the living room, Bernie saw that a terrified Ellen was being hostage by Two-Face…or what was left of him.

Bernie grimaced at the sight of the man, who--with one half of his face scarred--was never much to look at anyway. But now, the previously clean side of Two-Face's face had also been badly burned--leaving his entire head battered and looking like something out of a horror movie. He stood holding Ellen close to him, with a gun aimed right at her temple. When he grinned at Bernie, it was truly a ghastly sight.

"Thought you were rid of me, eh, Bernie?" Then his grin faded. "Unless you want me to blow your sweetheart's brains all over the wall, you'd better drop the gun."

Bernie instantly did what he was told, placing the gun on the floor. He stood back up with his hands up in surrender. "Two-Face…Harvey…listen to me," he said. "You need help."

Two-Face barked laughter at him. "Oh, they've been telling me that for a long time, now, Bernie! I'll tell you what I need: payback. And you're going to help me to get it!"

**B&B**

"Rise and shine!" Holly called.

Selina groaned as she rolled over in bed--facing away from Holly, who hovered over her as if she were some kind of a demented wakeup fairy, or something along those lines. "Hmmph, go away…."

"Selina, get up," Holly said firmly.

"Who exactly is the one in charge of this partnership, anyway?" Selina sullenly asked.

"You are," Holly said.

"Then when did I say you could act like a goddamned human alarm clock?"

"When you start tossing your goddamned _mechanical _alarm clocks out the window," Holly replied. "You try doing that to me, and I'll bite you."

"I am _not_ a morning person. So shoot me."

"Don't tempt me," Holly said, slapping her with a newspaper. "And it's not morning. It's twelve thirty--in the afternoon."

"Oh God, I wish I had a time machine, so I can go back six hours and get more sleep," Selina muttered, as she wearily sat up. She stared bleary-eyed at the paper--until Holly tossed a t-shirt right at her face. Selina angrily pulled the shirt from her head and put it on. "If I'm the senior partner here, you should show me a little respect, Holly."

"I will once you stop acting like a little goody-two shoes do-gooder," Holly shot back. "You see the paper?"

Selina glanced at the headline, which read: "Two-Face dead?!" She was about to ask what was so special about it, until she glanced down and saw another story that mentioned Catwoman.

The headline read: "Catwoman turns over new leaf?" It then went on to cover the excitement that had occurred when Catwoman saved two young women from the clutches of an evil gang who had tried to run one of them down.

Selina grumpily tossed the paper on the bed, then frowned as she watched Holly remove several suitcases out of the closet. "What are you doing?"

"Getting ready to pack," Holly replied. "I don't know what it is with this crazy city that's suddenly making you do good deeds. But we're getting the hell out before you turn into a nun!"

"Not before I get the Eye Of Isis," Selina told her. "Once I finally have that gem in my possession, then--and only then--can we leave Gotham City."

"Catwoman, the world's best burglar, actually _stealing_ something? Imagine that!" Holly said sarcastically. "When are you planning this job?"

"Tonight," Selina snarled.

"I hear there's a Girl Scout Jamboree in the woods just outside Gotham this evening, Selina. You sure you don't want to pay them a visit and lead the little buggers in a rousing rendition of Kumbaya, instead?"

Selina just steadily rubbed her face with her hands. "Holly, would you like to see me do my impression of a cat filleting a mouse…using _you_ as the mouse?"

"Ok, point taken," Holly quickly said, as she ran out of the bedroom. "Nice to have you back, boss!"

"And to think I risked my life getting that ungrateful wrench back from Mercy," Selina muttered, shaking her head. "What was I thinking?!"

**B&B**

Mercy Graves sat on the metal bench/bed of her jail cell, trying to look casual. And to the guards who walked past her cell every few minutes or so, she indeed look extremely casual; having removed her shoes and sitting as she was with one leg tucked underneath the other.

But what the guards never realized was that she was carefully counting the moments in-between when they made their rounds. She had started doing this once she saw the sun rise higher and higher in the sky outside her narrow jail cell window.

As soon as the most recent guard walked past her cell, Mercy started counting once more. They had taken her watch, so counting was her only way of knowing how long a time there was in-between the guard's patrols. It was normally a count up to one hundred before another guard walked by. But this time, Mercy kept counting past one hundred and this fact, along with the sun directly above them in the sky outside, told Mercy that the guards were now at lunch.

'It was time,' she realized.

She picked up her shoes and turned them over. She unlocked the heels and slid them out, revealing a secret compartment within that contained a small vial of liquid. Mercy removed the twin vials and quickly replaced the heels on the bottoms of her shoes.

Putting the shoes back on the floor, Mercy quickly hid the vials in the pocket of her jeans. Separately, the liquid within the vials were harmless--but when mixed together, they formed a special acid that can eat through metal. There wasn't enough to use on the bars of her cell. But there was more than enough to help Mercy get out of a pair of handcuffs.

Mercy sat back on the bench/bed and smiled. It was now just a matter of waiting for the right moment to strike.

And God help these Gotham City pigs when she did.

**B&B**

The Rose family was one of the oldest in Gotham City, with their roots stretching as far back as when the city was nothing more than a village that was first settled by the pilgrims in the 1600s. The family also had a long altruistic history of helping others, and even when disaster struck within the family itself, this humanitarian trait did not end. Alvin and Claudia Rose lost their only son Nathaniel to leukemia when he was sixteen years of age. Every year, on what would have been Nathaniel's birthday, the Roses threw a charity ball, with the proceeds going to research to fight leukemia.

And so it had always been an honor for Bruce to attend their annual charity balls. Thankfully, they were always fun, down to earth affairs that were free of the pretentiousness that afflicted many other such charities that the rich and famous frequented.

Yet as he rode over to the ball in the back of the limousine with Rachel at his side--who looked gorgeous in an off the shoulder red dress with a matching wrap--Bruce's mind continued to think grim thoughts about the various psychopaths that were still on the loose, namely Two-Face--and now the Penguin.

'Dealing with this bunch was like trying to keep a pack of wild weasels in a bag,' he solemnly thought. 'Just when you think you've got them all bagged, one or two of them always manage to escape.'

Rachel glanced at him, a slight frown on her face. "You're very quiet, Bruce. More so than usual. Everything all right?"

"Yeah," he said. "My mind's been wandering back to work-related things again. Sorry."

Rachel had a pained expression. "Actually, I should be the one to apologize. You wouldn't have so--" She stopped and cautiously glanced ahead of them at the driver, making sure he wasn't listening.

Normally, Alfred would have driven them, but since he was still at home recuperating, Bruce had hired another driver for the evening. He gestured at the shaded privacy glass between the front and back seats of the limo. "Don't worry, Rachel. He can't hear us."

Rachel nodded, then resumed what she was about to say: "You wouldn't have so much to think about without the Penguin now running loose. And I feel responsible for that."

"Don't be," Bruce told her. "You win some, and you lose some at this game. You should know that by now."  
"Tell that to Alex," Rachel said, looking troubled.

"How did she take it?"

"Badly. I mean, she wasn't hysterical, or anything. But she had asked for some time off, and when she did, I could tell she had been crying. Liv was with her--which I was very happy to see."

"I can understand Alex's--" Bruce had started to say, just as the driver abruptly veered the car into a sharp turn down a narrow side street. The sudden motion threw a surprised Rachel right into Bruce's arms.

"What's happening?" she asked, looking dazed.

"Good question," Bruce said. When the limousine turned sharply as it did, it left behind the twin motorcycle police escorts that were riding out in front.

"We lost our police protection, and now we're headed down a back alley towards God knows where."

The car stopped as suddenly as it had veered off the main street. When the tinted glass between the front and back seats began to lower, Rachel leaned forward and asked the driver, "Excuse me, what's going on?"

"Sorry about this," the driver said, as he tossed what looked like a grenade into the back seat. "I have no choice…."

Bruce grabbed Rachel's arm and pulled her out with him as he quickly opened the door and got out of the car. Yet no sooner than he placed a foot on the asphalt of the alleyway then he was struck by something sharp that lodged itself in his neck.

Bruce instantly pulled the dart from his neck, but not before his entire body began to feel numb. Losing his balance, he quickly fell to the ground, and was shocked to see Rachel had fallen on top of him, another dart sticking out of her bare arm. A harmless white smoke billowed out of the limousine--and Bruce realized that the grenade had been just a smoke version, designed to get them out of the safety of the car, and right into the hands of whoever had just shot them with tranquilizer darts.

A sad-looking man emerged from the darkness of the alleyway and leaned over Bruce--who saw that it was none other than Bernard Romano. "I'm very sorry," he whispered. "But the bastard's got my girlfriend and her daughter hostage."

Bruce's eyes grew wide as Two-Face came over and gave him a wide smile. Only now, he could no longer be truly called Two-Face, because both sides of his face were badly burnt. Most of his hair was gone, badly singed, and he had no eyebrows. He grinned hideously down at Bruce and Rachel. "Well, well, look what we caught, boys! In addition to the District Attorney, we've also got ourselves her boy toy, Bruce Wayne. Get them back in the car, and hurry it up!"

That was the very last thing a helpless Bruce Wayne heard just before he blacked out.

**B&B**

Olivia was just clearing up the last bit of business on her desk when Linda came running into her office. "You're not going to believe what just happened, boss! Rachel Dawes and Bruce Wayne have been abducted."

Olivia froze, as an icy sensation of terror slid up her spine. "Please tell me you're joking, Linda…."

Linda solemnly shook her head. "I wish to God I was, boss. But it just came over the dispatch. The limo that Wayne and Dawes was riding in suddenly ditched their motorcycle police escorts and drove down an alleyway. When the bike cops caught up to them, they were fired upon."

"They never arrived at the Rose Ball?" Olivia frantically asked.

Linda shook her head. "Nor did they return to Wayne Manor. Nobody knows where they are right now."

"Oh, sweet Jesus," Olivia whispered. The first thing she thought was: 'Bruce was caught without his Batsuit.'

Yet even without his Batsuit, Bruce Wayne was still a formidable opponent. In order for him to be captured like this, he would had to have been knocked out; either that, or he was--

'No, don't even think that,' Olivia told herself. 'He would never give up on you, so don't you dare give up so easily on him!'

A grim-looking Gordon suddenly appeared at the door to her office. "Liv? I assume from the looks on your faces that you've heard?"

"Yes, sir," Olivia replied. "Any word on what happened to them?"

"Nothing," he said grimly. "The limo, along with Rachel and Bruce, have vanished. I realize that this isn't a sex crime, Liv, but I was wondering if you'd care to accompany me to Wayne Manor? I mean, seeing how close you are to Bruce and Rachel?"

"Yes, of course, sir," Olivia said, as she got her coat. "Thank you!"

Bidding Linda goodnight, Olivia left her office with Gordon, and was surprised to see Barbra waiting for them in the hallway. "My wife's visiting her mother, and Bab's sitter had to cancel at the last minute, so she'll be coming with us," Gordon explained.

"Hello sweetie," Olivia said to Barbara, who looked to be sick with worry. "I know Alfred will be very happy to see you."

"Not as much as he'd like to see Bruce and Rachel," Barbra said sadly.

"I'm mobilizing the entire police force, darling," Gordon assured her as they all rode down the elevator. "We won't rest until we find them."

Olivia brought out her cell phone when it rang. It was Alex, who had heard the news and was understandably frantic with worry. "We're headed to Wayne Manor now," she told her lover. "Meet us there, all right? Alfred and Dick will need all the support they can get right now."

Alex quickly agreed and they hung up. As they rode over to Wayne Manor in the official police commissioner's limo, Barbra said, "Maybe we should light up the Bat-signal? This sounds like a great case to call him in on!"

"Let's see if we get a ransom note, first, honey," Gordon told her. "I normally like to gather as much information I can get to give to Batman before I call him in on anything. We should know more once we get to Wayne Manor."

Olivia nodded her head in agreement. The thought that Batman was also a kidnap victim weighed very heavily on her mind like a dark cloud. She wondered what would happen--what would she do--when Gordon lit the Bat-signal, only to have no Dark Knight appear to save the day?

'We'll cross that bridge when we get to it,' she thought.

Olivia caught Barbra staring at her with a frightened expression, and gave the girl a smile that she did not feel.

"You're afraid for them," Barbra said, "aren't you?"

'If we lose Batman tonight, then I'm afraid for us all,' Olivia thought grimly. She nodded. "Yes, I am. But we have to be brave for Alfred and Dick…as well as for Bruce and Rachel."

They arrived at Wayne Manor, which was once more teeming with police--all of whom saluted Gordon as he got out the limo with Olivia and Barbra.

When they entered Wayne Manor, Olivia was pleased to see that Alex was already there, standing with a very worried looking Alfred and Dick.

"Did you hear anything else?" Alex asked.

"Just that they're missing," Olivia answered. "The limo they were riding in was somehow diverted away from the police escorts. Sounds like the driver must have been in on it."

"I knew I should have driven them," Alfred said in despair.

Both Alex and Barbra gave him a comforting hug in response.

"If you went with them, Alfred, you might have been abducted along with them," Gordon said. "I take it you haven't received any word from the kidnappers? No ransom note?"

"No, nothing," Dick said. "Was Two-Face behind this?"

"We never found his remains, so he's a prime suspect," Gordon replied. "As is the Penguin--who has no love for Rachel, who personally prosecuted his case."

"You think the Penguin would be this bold?" Alfred asked. "To strike so soon after he's released from prison?"

"I'm not discounting anything at this point," Gordon said. "Before getting Liv and coming over here, I've sent Montoya and Bullock to have a little chat with the Penguin, just to cover all of our bases."

A uniformed police officer ran up to them. "Excuse me, Commissioner," he said. "I was just speaking with my precinct, and my desk sergeant tells me that there's something online about this kidnapping case. A ransom video showing both Ms. Dawes and Mr. Wayne still alive."

A laptop was quickly found, and when the desk sergeant relayed the web site address, Olivia and the others found themselves staring in horror at a home made video that had been posted online. The fuzzy video showed both Bruce and Rachel helplessly bound to chairs while a horribly scarred man strode out in front of them like the gruesome announcer of one of these demented reality shows. Once he began to talk, Olivia realized that it was Harvey Dent.

'His face is now completely scarred,' she thought. 'It's almost like he's now become a full-fledged monster….'

"Hello, my fellow citizens of Gotham City," Harvey said--and the grin he had was so horrendous, Olivia thought he would have given the Joker a run for his money. "You see seated here before you two of Gotham City's elite: Bruce Wayne, millionaire, and Rachel Dawes, the bitch who stole my job. This is actually a shout out to the Batman, whom I would very much like to see here, before twelve midnight tonight--or else I slit their throats with razor wire. Will they survive? It's up to the Dark Knight. And if anybody other than you show up, I instantly kill them! Remember the caged angel, Batman?"

'Oh, Christ,' Olivia thought, 'he's got no idea that Batman is already there, right under his nose!'

"Damn it," Gordon said, once the video ended. "Excuse me, folks…."

He left them to make a phone call. Olivia knew that Gordon would be trying to see if there was any way to track down where the video had been posted from. Yet she knew all too well that there were too many ways for somebody to cover their tracks on the internet.

Olivia stared at the frozen image of Harvey Dent--or the monster that he'd become--on the computer screen. To think that a man whom she had once regarded as a comrade and friend would become one of the most destructive forces she'd known in Gotham City was stunning to her. And she'd love nothing more right now than to beat him into an even uglier pulp than he already was.

She glanced at all of those assembled in the massive living room: a distraught Alfred sat on the sofa, with Alex and Dick seated on either side of him, offering what comfort they could. An equally anxious Barbra stood worriedly off to the side. They were all understandably upset over the fact that Bruce and Rachel had been kidnapped by Two-Face.

And yet, for some reason, Olivia did not share this feeling. She was disturbed by the entire situation, to be sure; but Olivia presently felt something else right now: a righteous, blazing fury. And within this heated fury, Olivia had come to realize a single fact.

It was now all up to her.

And it was time for her to get moving.

"Barbra," she asked the girl. "Would you mind getting Alfred a glass of water from the kitchen?"

"Sure!" Barbara said, as she ran out of the room. She appeared to be very happy to be doing something productive.

"Excuse me, Liv, but this is a far bigger problem than a glass of water can solve," Alfred said.

"I know," she replied. "I just wanted to get her out of the room so we can talk. We need to get to the Batcave."

"Why?" Alex said, looking shocked. "Bruce isn't here, remember?"

"I know that," Olivia snapped. She suddenly shook her head and got her bearings. "Sorry, Alex, but there's no time. Two-Face gave us a clue to his location in the very last thing he said, and we need to figure out--"

Olivia stopped when Barbra came running back inside with a glass of water. She had forgotten how fast Barbra could be; was it any wonder she was as successful as she was as Batgirl?

"Here you go, Alfred!" Barbra said, as she handed him the glass of water.

"Thank you so much, sweetheart," Alfred said, as he accepted it from her. "But, you know, I'm feeling very tired. So I think I shall retire for a while and regain my strength."

When he said this, Alfred gave Olivia a knowing look. 'Bless you, Alfred,' she thought. 'You're a lifesaver--more than you know.'

"Let's get you to bed," Olivia said.

"Are you all right, Alfred?" Barbra asked, concerned.

He affectionately rubbed the side of her face. "Don't you fret none about me, dear. I'll be better once I've rested up."

"He'll be all right, honey," Olivia assured her. "Why don't you go find your father and tell him Alfred will be resting for a while?"

"Ok," Barbra said, still looking worried about Alfred. Despite the expression on her face that said she wanted to remain with them, she left the room to find her dad.

"Thanks, Alfred," Olivia said, as they all quickly made their way to the Batcave's secret entrance.

"My pleasure, Liv," he replied. "I just wish I knew what you're up to."

"I'll tell you when we're safely down there," she told him.

**B&B**

As Barbra ran down the hallway, searching for her father amidst the throng of cops, she glanced behind her long enough to see Olivia, Alex and Dick all leading Alfred to his room upstairs.

'No wait!' Barbra thought, stopping, as she watched them all suddenly duck into a room directly across the hall. 'Where the heck are they going? Alfred's room is upstairs!'

Barbra frowned when she realized something else. She'd noticed that Alfred didn't look as weak as he did just before, when he told her he was going to lay down.

Shaking her head, Barbra ran back down the hallway, towards the room she'd just seen everybody duck into. She stopped in the doorway and was about to ask what was going on--when Barbra saw something that was so stunning, she merely stood there with her mouth hanging open.

Everybody had walked single file right into the wall. One of the bookcases was flung open, and the head of a bust was pulled back, revealing a button. Dick, who was the last one in the room, pushed the head of the bust back in place before he darted into the secret passageway that had been revealed by the opened bookcase.

Barbra still stood with a shocked expression on her face in the doorway.

"What the heck is going on here?" she nervously whispered.

**B&B**

Once they were all safely in the Batcave, Olivia had Dick bring up the kidnap video on the computer. As much as it bothered her to watch it again, Olivia wanted to hear the last thing that Harvey said once more.

"Remember the caged angel, Batman?" Two-Face said, just before the video ended.

"There," Olivia pointed at the screen. "He was giving Batman a clue as to his location right there."

"But what does that mean?" Alfred asked. "The 'caged angel' could be anything."

Olivia stared at Alex. "What did they call you, back when you ran that women's shelter?"

"The Southside Angel," Alex said, puzzled. "You think he was referring to me?"

"I think Harvey was referring to where you were imprisoned by the Penguin," Olivia said. "I'm willing to bet that's where he's got Bruce and Rachel now."

Alex looked stunned. "They're at the old umbrella factory on 313 Merlin lane!"

"Splendid work, Olivia," Alfred said, impressed.

"Yeah, that's great, Liv," Dick said with a nod. "But if you tell the cops, they're just gonna send a SWAT team in with guns blazing. And Two-Face said that if anybody but Batman shows up, Bruce and Rachel are instantly dead." Dick shook his head in frustration. "Two-Face doesn't know just how lucky he is! He's got both Bruce and Batman sitting captive in the same chair!"

"I'm going to see if I can't rectify the situation," Olivia told him. "Without Two-Face even finding out that Bruce is Batman."

"How?" Alex asked.

"I'm taking the Tumbler and going after them myself," Olivia calmly told them all.

There was a pause as everyone stared at her in disbelief.

**B&B**

'Oh my God!" Barbra thought, as she fell back against the wall in shock. She stood on the second level, overlooking the Batcave, and had overheard the whole conversation. She had followed them through the secret doorway, half expecting them to be a part of some kind of weird cult, on their way to a meeting, or something. But what Barbra had actually uncovered was even more shocking: Bruce Wayne was the Batman! She had been an unknowing guest in the Batman's house all along!

"Barbra?"

Barbara suddenly turned at the sound of her father's voice, which echoed down the secret passageway.

Barbra let out a startled gasp when she remembered that she had left the secret door open. She froze, terrified, as she realized that her father was now mere minutes away from discovering the Batcave beneath Wayne Manor.

**To Be Continued...**


	13. Chapter 13

_My thanks to D.J. Scales, piecesofyourheart and RebelByrdie for their kind reviews._

**Batman & Benson 3**

**Chapter Thirteen  
**

"Barbra?"

Barbra Gordon froze in place on the second story level of the Batcave. As if it wasn't bad enough that she had just faced the shock of finding out that Bruce Wayne was Batman--and that Olivia, Alex, Alfred and Dick were all in on it--but now her father was calling her. And from the sound of things, he appeared to be just seconds away from discovering the Batcave himself--thanks to the fact that Barbra had left the secret passage doorway open on the other end.

And so she did the only thing that she could do in this situation: Barbra protected Batman's secret.

She ran like hell back down the narrow passageway and emerged into the room, her mind scrambling for an excuse--any excuse--to explain to her dad about the secret passageway that was right smack dab in the middle of the book shelf. Yet, to her relief, Barbra saw that her father now stood just outside the doorway to the room, his back turned to her.

"Anybody see my daughter?" he asked the crowd of police.

Barbra deftly kicked the passageway door shut with her foot as she sweetly called out: "In here, daddy! Just looking through the books."

"Oh, there you are!" he said, smiling at her. Then his smile vanished as he stared at something over her head. "That's strange…."

Barbra stared back at him with wide, fearful eyes. "Um, what's strange, daddy?"

"I could have sworn I saw a shelf that jutted out from the wall before," Gordon said, frowning. "But now it's gone."

"Maybe it was your eyes, playing tricks on you," Barbra said.

"Humph, maybe," he said, shaking it off. "I wanted to tell you that I've found a sitter for you tonight. Angie's agreed to stay with you."

Angie McDonnell was their neighbor, whom Barbra liked. She was a sweet woman who was also as pliable as putty--which was why Barbra liked her so much. "That's great, Daddy! Shall I leave now?"

Gordon gave her a double take, surprised at her sudden eagerness to leave. "Uh, yeah. Montoya will drive you home."

Barbra practically ran out and hunted down Renee Montoya amidst the crowd of cops in the mansion.

"Boy, you're in a hurry to get home, huh?" Montoya noted, as Barbra pulled her by the arm towards the nearest squad car.

"This is a very big and important case," Barbara explained, "and I don't want to get in daddy's way."

They got in the car and began the drive home. After riding in silence for a while, Barbra abruptly turned to Montoya and asked, "Say, would you happen to know where 313 Merlin Lane is?"

**B&B**

'Oh, Christ,' Olivia thought, as she solemnly got dressed. 'I hope I know what the hell I'm doing.'

Standing in the dressing area of the Batcave--where Bruce usually donned the Batsuit--she paused to gaze at herself in the full length mirror. Olivia was dressed completely in a black outfit, along with a pair of same-colored climbing shoes. Alex came over and watched as Olivia pulled on a pair of gloves.

"You think you're some kind of goddamn superhero now?" she asked, still clearly upset with Olivia's decision to go after Bruce and Rachel.

Alex's words stung Olivia more than she realized. The fact of the matter was she was beginning to doubt her decision; as well as to doubt her ability to even help Bruce and Rachel.

Yet before she could respond, Olivia caught a glance at the Batsuit, which stood regally under the halogen lights in the center of the platform. And once she saw that empty suit, looking for all the world like a suit of armor on display in a museum, Olivia's sense of purpose had instantly been renewed.

"I never said I was a superhero," she firmly told Alex. "But I have to do this, Alex. I have to at least try."

"Why?!"

"You know, Bruce and I spoke about how much Gotham City needs Commissioner Gordon the other night," Olivia replied. "And he was right. But we need Batman even more, Alex. So I'm taking the Batsuit with me, and if I can, I'll give it to Bruce, so he can wear it. So Batman can set things right with Two-Face once and for all."

"What if you get there and find out that you can't help him?" Alex asked. "What will you do, then?"

"Then I'll back off and call in Gordon and his cavalry," Olivia told her. "I promise I won't take any unnecessary risks, hon. But I have to at least try to help him, on my own, before a SWAT team goes in with their guns blazing. If I can just get Bruce free, that'll be all the help he needs from me. He can take it from there as Batman."

Alfred had solemnly watched their exchange from the upper platform staircase--until he abruptly descended the steps and briskly walked past Olivia without saying a word. Olivia stared at the old man's back, feeling as ashamed as a little girl who had made her favorite uncle angry. This would be so much better if she at least had his support.

Alfred rummaged through a closet unit. Then, finding what he sought, turned to face her, and as he did, he held up a black bulletproof vest. "This was originally a prototype vest for the front and back of the Batsuit," he said. "Master Bruce never wore it, because the company that made it for us constructed it several sizes too small for him. But I think it should fit you very well, Olivia. And it should offer some protection--it's rated to stop a bullet as large as a .45 caliber."

Too stunned for words--for this was as sure a confirmation that Alfred supported her if she ever needed one--Olivia accepted the vest from him and immediately put it on. Alfred was right; the vest fit her perfectly. She was also pleasantly surprised to see that it was lightweight, and allowed total freedom of movement.

Alfred reached out and gently held the side of Olivia's face. "If anyone can help Master Bruce right now, it's you, Olivia. Now go to him."

It had been a struggle for Olivia not to cry when Alfred gave her the vest, but once he said that to her, she started bawling like a baby. "Thank you, Alfred," Olivia said, after quickly getting a hold of herself. "That means so much to me, especially since I'll be going out there alone like--"

"You won't be alone," Alfred corrected her. "I shall sit at the main console and guide you, staying with you at every step of the way. You will see me on the main screen of the Tumbler's dashboard."

"I'm going with you, too," Alex firmly stated.

Olivia was about to protest when a voice said, "No. _I'm_ going with her."

They all looked up and saw Dick was standing on the steps, fully clad in his Robin outfit.

Olivia shook her head. "Dick, no…."

"You need backup, Liv," he told her, as he came down the steps. "I can provide that for you."

"Dick, no, absolutely not!" Olivia said.

He calmly nodded. "Fine. Then I'll just wait until you leave and then follow you. Either I'm in the Tumbler with you, or following behind on a bike--either way, I _am_ going with you, Liv."

"Dick…damn it!" Olivia muttered, shaking her head.

"But if I go with you, then you're the boss," Dick told her. "I move only on your word, Liv. You'll be in complete charge. I promise."

Olivia glanced questioningly at Alfred, who gave her the slightest of nods. That decided it for her. A nod of approval from Alfred was good enough for Olivia.

"All right," she said. "But, like you promised, you do only what I say."

"We both will," Alex chimed in. When everybody stared at her as if she were insane, she added, "What?! I said I was going, too, remember?"

"Actually, Alex, I could use your help here," Alfred gently told her. "Commissioner Gordon will be wondering where we all are, and it would be a help for us if he saw a familiar face upstairs."

"Oh, all right," Alex said reluctantly, after a moment's thought. Then she turned to Olivia. "I was wrong before. You _are_ a superhero, Liv. You're _my_ hero."

With that Alex embraced Olivia in a passionate kiss.

"Whoa!" Dick said, sounding impressed, as he and Alfred quickly turned away to give them privacy.

"Come back to me safe, my love," Alex whispered to Olivia.

"Wild horses couldn't keep me away," Olivia replied. With a final glance at her and Alfred, Olivia strode to the Tumbler with Dick--she quickly made a mental note to refer to him only as Robin from now on--by her side.

She opened a cargo compartment inside of the vehicle, and then went and got the Batsuit. Alfred, Alex and Robin all helped her as Olivia gently and carefully stashed the outfit within the compartment. She made sure to keep the left gauntlet of the Batsuit with her.

'Here's hoping you get to wear it very soon, Bruce,' Olivia thought grimly, as she shut the cargo door and sat down in the Tumbler with Robin.

**B&B**

As Olivia and Robin drove out of the Batcave, Alfred sat down at the console and switched on the link to the Tumbler. He nodded with approval when he saw the image of Olivia and Robin sitting inside the Tumbler.

'It's a good thing Master Bruce took the time to teach her how to drive the Tumbler,' Alfred thought. 'Little did he know then just how useful that teaching lesson would be….'

Alex sat down by his side, where she let out a heavy sigh.

"Are you all right, Alex?"

"I'm just not very good at being a cop's wife," Alex said, as she gazed forlornly at Olivia's image on the screen before them.

Alfred gently squeezed her hand. "I have a feeling it will be a very long night for all of us, my dear."

Alex nodded as she took a deep breath and steeled herself. "If you'll excuse me, Alfred, I now have to go play the happy hostess with Commissioner Gordon and all his boys and girls upstairs…."

**B&B**

'Finally,' Catwoman thought, as she surveyed the square that lay before the Gotham City Museum of Natural History. Everything looked calm and quiet. The museum had already shut down, and there were no damsels in distress around for her to rescue.

"The Eye Of Isis is as good as mine," she whispered. With a flick of her wrist, Catwoman unraveled the whip from around her waist.

Yet just before she was about to lash out at the nearest support beam and swing over to the museum, a noise stopped Catwoman dead in her tracks.

It was the sound of crying.

Catwoman turned towards the direction the crying came from. It sounded like it originated from the roof of the adjacent building. It was a high-pitched, keening wail of despair that cut right through Catwoman's heart.

Catwoman wanted nothing more than to get in the museum and grab the Eye Of Isis, but she just couldn't ignore that person--whoever it was that was crying. It sounded like a woman. She might be in desperate trouble.

"Oh, god damn it," Catwoman muttered, as she wrapped the whip around her waist once more. She then ran to the edge of the building and casually executed a somersault over the space in between the buildings. She landed on the ledge of the adjacent building and scanned for the source of the crying. When she saw who it was, Catwoman shook her head in surprise.

Batgirl knelt behind a skylight, with her face in her hands.

Catwoman quickly went over to the girl, anxiously hoping that the little idiot was all right. All sorts of sordid situations that might have befallen the girl ran through her mind, as Catwoman braced herself to deal with the worst.

"Hey, are you ok?" she asked.

Batgirl quickly jumped to her feet, wiping her tear-filled eyes. "What's it to you?!"

"You're the one who's crying her eyes out on a roof in the middle of the night," Catwoman said. "Are you hurt? Somebody didn't hurt you, did they?"

"No," Batgirl said, her voice growing calm. "No, I'm fine. I'm not the one who's in trouble. Somebody else is, and I'm trying to go help them, but…I got lost! I'm so stupid…!"

Catwoman fought down the urge to burst into laughter. The kid appeared to be genuinely bothered by her predicament. "Where are you headed?"

"313 Merlin Lane," Batgirl replied. "I was told that's in the Iron View section of the city."

"It is." Catwoman pointed. "Down that way, about two blocks."

"But I just came up that street!" Batgirl said, annoyed. "Oh, God, some superhero I am!"

"The Iron View section's a pretty cagy area, especially at night," Catwoman said. "You sure you want to go in there?"

"I-I have no choice," Batgirl said. "It's Batman; he needs my help."

"Batman's in trouble?" Catwoman asked, surprised. When Batgirl sadly nodded, she said, "Very well, then. I'm coming with you."

Batgirl's eyes flared with shock. "You are? Why?"

"Let's just say I owe him one," Catwoman replied. She regarded the museum, which she was leaving untouched for a second night in a row, with a wistful look. "Holly is going to kill me…."

Batgirl stared at the museum, and then at Catwoman with suspicion. "Say, what were you doing here, anyway?"

"About to rip off one of the biggest diamonds in the world," Catwoman gaily replied. "But you stopped me. See, Bat-mite? Your crime fighting career is already off to a great start. Batman will be so proud! Now c'mon, let's go see him."

**B&B**

The ride over to the old umbrella factory felt good for Olivia. Driving the Tumbler was a very snug and cozy feeling, and the fact that Alfred was with her every step of the way, offering her guidance and advice, was a huge help for Olivia's morale. She was in a very good place, mentally.

When the abandoned factory loomed before them in the darkness, Olivia felt a slight chill run up her spine. This had once been the Penguin's hideout, and her struggle to free Alex from his grasp was an all-too-recent memory that still haunted her.

"Where are we going?" Robin asked, as Olivia drove straight by the place without even slowing down.

"Two-Face will most likely have somebody watching the street," Olivia replied. She had the Tumbler running in full stealth mode, which included no lights and silent running of its engine--thanks to a tip from Alfred, who talked her through how to switch it over--which made the vehicle nearly impossible to see at night, unless a light shone directly on it. "We'll need to find a back way in."

On the small screen, Alfred consulted the computer in the Batcave. "That factory sits right by a canal, Olivia. You could enter through there."

"Yes, I remember," she said. "That was where Alex and I caught the Penguin, who was trying to make an escape by boat. How can we get there from the street, Alfred?"

"Take the next right," Alfred informed her.

Olivia followed his precise directions to the letter, until she cruised down by the side of the canal. She stopped the Tumbler about a block away from the old umbrella factory and opened the door. She turned to Robin and said, "We need to do a recon of the place, first. You up to that?"

Robin nodded with confidence. "What are we waiting for?"

"Right. Then let's go," Olivia said. "Alfred, talk to you later."

"Good luck to you both," he told them.

"Thanks," Olivia replied, as she and Robin got out of the Tumbler.

'God knows we'll need all the luck we can get from this point on,' she thought.

As she and Robin slipped silently into the shadows, Olivia had thought it best to keep her doubt-filled thoughts to herself.

**B&B**

"Just another twenty minutes," the thing that used to be Harvey Dent said. "Batman has another twenty minutes to get here, or else you and your boy toy are history, Ms. District Attorney."

"You're gonna kill us no matter what happens, Harvey," Rachel wearily said. Her gag, which now hung from her throat, had been removed by Two-face--but if he was expecting her to beg for mercy, he had another thing coming. Although she sat bound hand and foot to a chair, stripped to just her underwear, Rachel was still ever defiant. "But if you let us go right now, I'll see to it that you receive the best of--"

"LET YOU GO?!" Harvey roared in her face. "Rest assured, Batman _will_ be here. And after I kill him, I'm gonna have some fun with you--all while your little rich-bitch boyfriend watches us."

Yet Rachel would not give up. "Harvey, please, this can't go on--"

She was cut off when he roughly pulled the gag back into her mouth.

"You're right, Rachel, this won't go on--at least not for you and Brucie," Harvey said, his voice almost gentle. "You'll both be dead by morning. But, once I'm done with you, my dear, at least _you'll_ be dead with a smile on your face!"

Rachel simply turned her face away from his grotesque visage--she appeared to be disgusted in more ways than one with Harvey at this point.

For his part, Bruce had used the brief conversation between Rachel and Harvey to shift in his seat ever so slightly. His wrists had been bound behind his back with a pair of handcuffs, which made any movement of his wrists near impossible--he couldn't reach the steel picks that had been inserted into the cuffs of his shirt. He normally had such things tucked away in his civilian clothes, just for emergencies like this.

But once he had shifted his position in the chair, Bruce could now reach the second set of steel picks that he had tucked into the back of his pants. It was actually a good thing their captors had stripped him of his tuxedo jacket; for it was now a simple matter of pulling out one of the narrow steel picks and inserting it into the handcuff keyhole.

Within seconds, Bruce got his hands free of the cuffs. But there was a problem. His feet were still tied, and he sat in full view of Harvey and his group of armed thugs on the wide open factory floor.

'I need a diversion,' Bruce thought, as he continued to sit with his arms behind his back, as though still cuffed. 'Something--anything--that would just make them look away while I--'

Bruce was startled when there was an abrupt flash that erupted in the middle of the floor. The flash was followed by a large cloud of bilious smoke that engulfed everybody, including himself and Rachel. He could hear Harvey's thugs begin to yell in a panic.

"He's here!" Harvey yelled, sounding satisfied. "It's Batman! Get ready boys; it's show time!"

'What the hell?' Bruce thought, as he quickly untied his feet under the cover of the smoke. 'That looked like one of my gas pellets!'

"I see him, he's over--ugh!" one of the thugs yelled, just before he was abruptly knocked out by a shadowy figure in the mist.

'But by who?' Bruce wondered. He had quickly freed his feet and removed the gag from his mouth. 'Who's attacking us?'

As soon as he stood up, a shadowy figure emerged from the smoke, and Bruce made to punch his lights out. Until the figure abruptly held up its arms and whispered, "Bruce, it's me, Liv…."

Bruce did a double take as he found himself staring at Olivia, who was clad all in black like some kind of urban commando. She even wore the prototype bulletproof vest that he'd discarded for the Batsuit.

When Rachel let out a muffled cry, Bruce glanced over at her in time to see another of Harvey's thugs come up from behind and try to grab her for use as a shield. But before Bruce could even go to her rescue, another figure emerged from the mist and instantly knocked the man to the floor with an expert karate kick.

It was Robin. He waved a finger at the knocked-out man and said, "Now that's just impolite."

"Robin," Olivia whispered, "get her untied, now."

"Already on it," Robin replied, as he quickly cut Rachel free of the chair.

"Come on Batman!" Harvey Dent roared from somewhere within the smoke. "Stop hiding and fight me man to man!"

Bruce, enraged at Harvey to the point where he had had enough, started to move in the direction of Two-Face's voice until Olivia reached out and grabbed him. "You're not wearing the suit."

"I don't need the suit," Bruce snarled at her. "Besides, it's not here."

"Yes, it is." With a smile, Olivia handed him one of the gauntlets from the Batsuit. "It's in the car. Why don't you go get it?"

Bruce realized, with a slight smile of his own, that she had given him the left gaunlet. He brought it up to his mouth and said, "Come here."

**B&B**

Seconds later, one of the massive garage doors was ripped from its hinges when the Tumbler rumbled into the factory. Several of Harvey's thugs leapt wildly out of its way as the Tumbler screeched to a stop just before its master and opened its canopy.

"Stay under cover with everybody else," Bruce told her, as he dove into the Tumbler and shut the roof.

Olivia saw what he meant: the smoke was already starting to dissipate. Harvey's goons could now be seen, and they were all aiming their guns in their direction.

Robin had freed Rachel and had put Bruce's discarded tuxedo jacket over her. Olivia ran over to them and shoved them behind a steel girder.

An extremely happy Rachel planted a grateful kiss on Olivia's cheek, and then on Robin's. "You've both earned your superhero membership cards tonight!"

"Thanks," Olivia said--just as they all ducked down behind the girder, when a withering spray of machine gun fire erupted all around them. "But it ain't over yet!"

**B&B**

"There," Catwoman said, pointing at the armed guard. "Looks like he's guarding somebody important."

Barbra peered around the corner and down the hallway. There was a burly man who held what looked like small automatic machine gun in his hands. "You think Batman might be in that room?"

"He's guarding something, Bat-Mite. Why don't find out what--or who--it is?"

"How? He's got a commanding view of the hallway. We can't sneak up on him."

Catwoman flicked her wrist, and the whip came undone from her waist. Barbra was amazed at how, from the way Catwoman manipulated it, the whip almost looked alive.

"It's all in the attitude, Bat-Mite," Catwoman said. "Watch and learn."

Then she slowly sashayed down the hall as if she owned it, keeping her whip bundled up and hidden behind her right arm.

Barbra was stunned to see that, not only was Catwoman walking right up to the man, but she even called out to him. "Excuse me," Catwoman said casually. "But is this the way to the masquerade ball?"

The guard had been startled just long enough for Catwoman to let the whip drop out to its full length from her hand. Then she slashed the man across the face--and then again on the backhand--before he could even bring his gun up. When the stunned man had fallen to the ground, Catwoman strode over and kicked him in the face--making sure he would not get up again.

Barbra leapt from behind the corner and picked up the man's gun. She carefully slid it along the floor, where it wound up several feet away. Even though the guard was knocked out, she still didn't want to risk leaving the gun lying right beside him.

"And now, let's see just what is so important that this moron was left behind to guard," Catwoman said, as she opened the door. Her smile faded when she beheld the sight that lay before her.

Barbra peered in and let out a horrified gasp.

It was a group of people, all fearfully huddled in the corner of an empty room. Barbra noted that they were mainly women and children, along with an elderly couple.

"What's going on?" Barbra asked. "Who are they?"

"Hostages," Catwoman said flatly. "Two-Face is a very naughty boy."

One woman stood up with a little girl clinging to her side. "My name is Ellen, and this is my daughter, Darleen. My boyfriend, Bernie, has been blackmailed into working for Harvey Dent…or Two-Face, or whatever the hell his name is. Everybody here has a loved one who's been enslaved by this Two-Face bastard. We've all been kidnapped and brought here to ensure their loyalty. Please help us."

"Yes," Barbra said, without hesitation. "We will."

"Are you sure?" Catwoman asked. "I thought we were here to help the Batman."

"We can't just leave them. And, besides, Batman helps the innocent," Barbra told her. "And by helping these people, we help the Batman. C'mon everybody," she called to the crowd. "Let's get you guys out of here!"

"Thank you," Ellen said thankfully. Then she frowned. "Um, aren't you a little young to be a superhero?"

"Hey, she's helping _you_, isn't she?" Catwoman said, annoyed. "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, honey. C'mon, let's go; everybody out, now!"

When the elderly couple walked past, the old woman pointed suspiciously at Catwoman. "Wait, you're supposed to be one of the bad guys, aren't you?!"

"It's my night off," Catwoman shot back. "Now hustle it up, granny; you're missing your bingo game! Move it!"

"She's definitively not one of these superheroes," her husband muttered with distaste. "Not with _that _attitude…."

Barbra stood by the doorway, directing people who came out while Catwoman led them down the hall.

Then, another armed man suddenly appeared at the opposite end of the hall. He was just as startled to see the hostages were escaping as Barbra was startled to see him.

They stood there, staring at each other for what felt like the longest five seconds of Barbra's young life. Barbra saw with wide eyes that the man had an automatic submachine gun hanging from a strap under his left armpit.

The man reached for the gun.

And Barbra leapt into action.

Relying on her gymnastic training, Barbra somersaulted down the hallway--until she landed right on top of the man, knocking him into the wall with the full weight of her body.

And then Barbra--along with the man--were equally shocked as they both sailed straight _through_ the brittle wall.

They emerged on a loading ramp on the opposite side, where Barbra, who found herself riding the now-unconscious thug like a sled, discovered she was sliding straight into the middle of what looked like an all-out gun battle below.

"_OH GAWD_!" she haplessly cried.

**B&B**

"No!" Two-Face shouted, as he waved for his men to stop shooting at the Tumbler. "Remember last time? He uses his car as a diversion. Forget the damn car and save your bullets! Just keep concentrated on your surroundings, and--"

"OH GAWD!" a young girl screamed.

Two-Face glanced over and saw the unsual sight of a young woman, clad in a black Batman costume, literally riding one of his knocked-out thugs down the loading ramp. When he came to a stop--making a loud THUD! sound--at the speed bump, the girl jumped off with a roll and landed deftly on her feet directly in front of all of them.

"Hiya, guys!" she said, with a frightened smile plastered on her face. "Hey, is anybody here named Bernie?"

Bernie exchanged a look of disbelief with Two-Face. "Uh, yeah, that's me. Why?"

"We rescued Ellen and Darleen, as well as all the other hostages," the strange-looking Batgirl told him. "None of you guys have to take orders from this Two-Face dude any more."

Two-Face's eyes grew very wide once Bernie turned around and aimed his machine gun right at him. "What the hell are you doing, Bernie?"

"What I should have done a long time ago," Bernie said, enraged, "you crazy son of a bitch--"

He was tackled from behind by Gus, one of Two-Face's second generation henchmen, who didn't have to be blackmailed into working for him. He was about to shout an order to the other second-gen boys to kill Bernie and the rest of the blackmailed suckers. But he saw that they were all busy battling the blackmail guys--and form the looks of things, they were losing. Everything was falling apart very quickly all around him.

Two-Face took this to be his cue to get out of here. Yet there was one thing in his way.

It was Batman.

**B&B**

"Just keep going," Catwoman called to the kidnap victims, as they ran outside. "There's a pay phone on the corner! Somebody use it to call the cops!"

As Catwoman darted back into the building, Ellen stopped her. "Wait, where are you going?"

"To go rescue that little idiot," Catwoman snarled. "Again."

She ran back into the factory and once more unleashed her whip, getting ready for a fight. "I swear, that rotten kid will be the death of me, yet…."

Just as she was about to run back upstairs, Catwoman paused when she heard Batgirl speaking loudly on the main factory floor--which lay directly ahead of her.

'How did she get down here so quickly?' Catwoman wondered, as she ran over to the doorway. Batgirl was speaking to the assembled collection of armed thugs, telling them that the hostages have been freed. Once she did that, the goons all started fighting each other--apparently, not all of them were being blackmailed into working for Two-Face.

Batgirl was at least smart enough to drop to the floor when the fracas started, but she didn't try to make a hasty escape. Catwoman was actually pleased to see the Batman was here, fighting his way through some of the goons, along with….

"Who the hell is that?" she said, startled at the sight of the hunky young man who fought beside Batman. He was clad in a red and green outfit with a yellow cape. "Hmm, whoever he is, kitty likes! Yummy!"

'Damn it,' Catwoman thought, when she saw a goon come up from behind Batgirl, who was completely unaware. She raced over and tapped him on the shoulder. When he turned around, Catwoman slugged him across the face.

Once that moron was out of the way, Catwoman reached down and grabbed Batgirl.

"Hey," Batgirl cried. "What are you doing?"

"Getting you the hell out of here," Catwoman told her, as she half carried-half dragged the girl through the doorway. "It's way past your bed time, Bat-Mite."

"But Batman!"

"Oh, Batman's fine, trust me," Catwoman said, as she vividly recalled the savage blows the Dark Knight gave to some of the goons on the factory floor just now. "In fact, Batman looks really pissed! Which is all the more reason why we'd be better off staying out of his way right now!"

**B&B**

"So Batman," Two-Face said, grinning viciously. "It finally comes down to you and me, eh?"

'He's not even trying to escape,' Batman thought. 'Either he's very cocky, or stupid. Either way, it no longer matters.'

Without saying a word, Batman steadily strode towards him--and this made Two-Face, who was unarmed, involuntarily back up.

"What's the matter, Batman?" Two-Face said, his smile fading. "Cat got your tongue? You seriously think that you--UGH!"

Batman had slammed a punch right across his face just then. And before Two-Face could even recover, the Dark Knight had struck him once more. The second blow almost knocked Two-Face off his feet, but Batman grabbed him by the lapels and hauled him close enough so that they were face to face.

"This ends now, Harvey," Batman whispered into the man's dazed face. "You hear me? This…stops…_now_."

With that, he slugged Two-Face hard in the stomach, making him bend over in pain. And then Batman raised him back up and slugged him once more in the face, which laid Two-Face flat out on his back, unconscious.

Batman sensed a flash of moment out of the corner of his eye, and turned to face whatever danger was there--only to see that it already had been nullified.

One of Two-Face's goons was about to open fire on him with a machine gun when Robin tackled him to the ground and punched his lights out. As Batman stared at him, Robin gave him a little shrug. "Just watching your back," he said.

Batman glanced around the factory floor and saw that, for the most part, Two-Face's goons--both the blackmail victims, as well as the loyal ones--had abandoned him. The ones who didn't leave lay sprawled out all over the floor.

As he strode over to where he left Olivia and Rachel, Robin walked along in step beside him. "Good to see you're ok," Robin said, sotto voce.

"Thanks, and I mean that," Batman told him. "Liv bring you along?"

Robin nodded. "Yeah. This whole thing, coming after you like this, was all her idea. Uh, who was the Batchick?"

"Batgirl," Batman replied, with an annoyed tone. A quick glance around the factory told him that she was nowhere to be seen. "Looks like our masked teenaged heroine has already rode off into the sunset. Did Liv bring _her_, too?"

"No, I didn't!" Olivia angrily said, as she and Rachel came out from behind the steel girder. "I didn't even want to bring Robin with me, at first. So I don't know where the hell _she_ came from."

Batman gently placed his hand on her shoulder. "Liv, what you did…."

"Was crazy," she admitted, "and it had a very little chance of working."

"But it did," Batman told her. "Thank you."

"Yes, Liv," Rachel added, as she warmly hugged Olivia. "Thank you."

"Ms. District Attorney," Batman wryly said, noting the tuxedo jacket she wore--which was practically the _only_ thing Rachel had on right now, save for her underwear. "That's a new look for you."

"Just another average night in Gotham City," Rachel said with a weary sigh. She closed the jacket over herself with a shudder. "And I'm freezing!"

"Sounds like the police have arrived," Robin announced, as he gestured at the air above them.

Batman nodded as he also heard the approaching sirens. "Let's get out of here."

"What about Harvey?" Rachel asked. "I don't want him waking up and escaping before the police get in here."

"I'll stay," Olivia told them. She picked up a machine gun from one of the knocked out thugs. "You three go, now."

"See you later, Liv," Batman told her, as he helped Rachel get into the Tumbler.

Olivia smiled. "Looking forward to a big reunion gathering."

"One which we'll have you to thank for," Batman said.

Once again, Olivia's face turned beet red with embarrassment as she glanced away shyly.

**B&B**

"I don't want excuses," Lex Luthor informed the executives who were gathered around him at the conference table in the LexCorp building. "I want answers. Namely, what the hell is going on out at Warehouse 15?!"

"But that's just it, Mr. Luthor," Mark Levy, one of his executives replied. "We don't know. We lost all contact with the facility."

Luthor slammed his hand on the table in frustration. "But we just sent a team in to investigate! What happened to _them_?!"

Levy shrugged helplessly. "We lost contact with them, as well."

"Well, we did get that packet from them," Laura Roberts reminded Mark, "just before contact was lost."

"What packet?" Luthor wanted to know.

"A video packet that was emailed to my personal account," Laura replied. "Apparently, someone on the investigating team had sent it, just in case all contact was lost."

"Let's see it."

As the main monitor in the conference room was being set up, Levy leaned over and said, "Mr. Luthor, I'm afraid we may have to face the unpleasant facts: we're rapidly losing control over this situation."

"I concur," Ken Wanntebe chimed in. "We may have to call in some outside help on this."

"Perhaps even Superman," Levy suggested.

"Absolutely not!" Luthor roared. "Let me make this clear to all of you: no matter what happens, this remains in-house. After all, we're LexCorp. If _we_ can't handle a situation, then nobody can. Understand?"

Levy leaned forward. "But Mr. Luthor, there are signs that this…incident at Warehouse 15 may be expanding beyond the facility."

Luthor shot him an incredulous look. "In what way?"

"There are reports of disappearances from the surrounding towns," Wanntabe said. "Not just one or two people, but vast groups of people have gone missing. The local police have already called in the FBI."

Luthor shook his head. "How the hell can our main project at Warehouse 15 be affecting anything on the outside like this?"

"We got it," Laura announced to the group. "This is the video packet that was sent to me via email."

"Did anybody other than you see this?" Luthor asked.

"No sir, nobody," Laura assured him. "In fact, _I_ haven't even seen it yet."

"Very well," Luthor said, as he sat back in his seat. "Run it."

The main monitor flashed unevenly for a few seconds, until an image formed. It was that of a large, ultra-modern laboratory, which Luthor recognized as being the central lab within Warehouse 15, which stored their most secretive and prized projects. The camera panned over a massive assembly of people who all stood staring blankly at something that was off-screen.

It was strange; there appeared to be a motley collection of people from all walks of life gathered in the lab--scientists stood with security guards, janitors and even what looked like a couple of high school cheerleaders, along with other townspeople: people who would normally not have access to the lab.

Then the camera panned over to…it.

It lay sprawled out on the floor, a large emerald and gold-colored creature with one humugous eye that darted around with an eerie sense of intelligence. At one point in its existence, this creature was a mere starfish. Now, it was something much, much more.

"It's far bigger than when I last saw it," Luthor uneasily commented.

"And far more intelligent," Laura added, "assuming its brain grew along with the rest of it."

The camera pulled back, showing the throngs of people standing before the gigantic starfish, as if in respectful prayer. Luthor could make out several of them saying something.

"Does this have sound?" he impatiently asked.

"Yes, it does, sir," Laura said, as she quickly hit a button on the remote. "Sorry."

And then they heard it. All of the people who were gathered in the lab like a pack of zombies all uttered the same name, over and over again, like a religious mantra.

_"Starro…Starro…Starro…."_

Lex Luthor sat back in his chair, stunned. He had faced down a great many things in his life, Superman being among the more imposing of them, without feeling the slightest bit of fear.

And yet now, as he listened to these people chant that same name over and over again--as they seemingly worshipped the mutated starfish like a god--Lex Luthor felt a spine-tingling chill run up his back.

_"Starro…Starro…Starro….." _

**To Be Continued...**


	14. Chapter 14

_I'd like to thank futureforensic, piecesofyourheart, J-Horror Fan 4-ever, AnotherChance and OrionTheHunter for their kind reviews. Thanks so much. _

**Batman & Benson 3**

**Chapter Fourteen **

'Here we go,' Olivia thought, as Gordon came up to her. They stood in the center of the factory floor, while hordes of Gotham City Police officers surrounded them, arresting the knocked-out goons who had been sprawled out all over. Olivia didn't envy the goons, who were all getting a nasty surprise upon awakening.

Up until now, Olivia--who was the senior commanding officer at the scene--had overseen the arrest of Harvey Dent and his thugs. But now that Gordon was here, Olivia would have to relinquish control over to him, as well as answer some uneasy questions.

"Liv," Gordon said, with a nod.

Olivia gestured at a morose Harvey Dent, who was being led away in cuffs by Montoya and Bullock. "Two-Face is in custody, sir."

"Yes, so I've noticed," Gordon replied, sounding relieved. "So this madness is finally over. He say anything?"

"Not since he woke up."

"Knocked out by the Batman, I presume?"

Olivia nodded. "Yes, sir. The Dark Knight made swift work of them all. Um, he rescued Bruce Wayne and Rachel Dawes, as well."

Gordon nodded. "Where are they?"

"They left with the Batman. Rachel--uh, I mean, the District Attorney--wasn't wearing much, thanks to Two-Face having removed her clothes."

Gordon's eyebrows shot up. "Don't tell me that he--"

"Oh, no sir," Olivia said quickly. "It didn't get that far, thank God. She was rescued in time."

"That's great." Gordon then stared right at her. "And what about you?"

That stopped Olivia right in her tracks. "Um, excuse me, sir?"

"You weren't hurt in this melee, were you, Liv?" Gordon asked with concern.

"Uh, no I-I wasn't here…" Olivia blurted out. She had been practicing her cover story in her mind this whole time--until now, when Gordon's abrupt and blunt question had completely caught her off guard. Now, her carefully assembled story had been shattered to pieces, and she struggled to mentally put it back together. "Um, I mean, I wasn't here until it was all over."

"You responded to the 911 call sent by the hostages?"

"Yes, sir."

Gordon nodded at her outfit. "While wearing that?"

'Oh sweet Jesus,' Olivia thought, as she glanced down at her black ninja-style outfit with the sleek bulletproof vest prototype that Alfred had lent her. 'I completely forgot about this….'

Feeling very silly, she glanced back up at her boss with the look of a girl who had been caught with her fingers in the cookie jar. For his part, Gordon gazed back at her with an expectant expression on his face. It was as if he just couldn't wait to hear what she was about to say next.

"Um, sir, about the outfit…I realize this isn't regulation, but…."

Gordon broke into a slow smile as he held up a hand. "Why don't you save it for the written report, Liv? And be sure to get your facts straight before you commit anything to paper. In fact, you might want to leave out any mention of that outfit you're wearing. Just say that you were relaxing at home when you got the call to come down here."

Olivia gave him a strange look. If she didn't know any better, she'd swear Gordon was conspiring with her to cover up what really happened here.

"The accident at Star Labs; the first attempted kidnapping of Ms. Dawes at Wayne Manor, and now the downfall of Two-Face," Gordon said, smiling at her. "You really do have a strange knack of being right where the action is, Liv. Looks like I made the perfect choice by making you the Gotham City SVU commander. It's good having you on our side."

'Oh jeez,' Olivia bashfully thought, as she felt her face go red.

Gordon was grinning at her now. "Get out of here, Liv. Go write up your report."

"Um, yes, sir," Olivia said, too embarrassed to even look at him as she quickly left the factory.

**B&B**

"Let's go," the guard called, "rise and shine!"

Mercy Graves quickly sat up on her bunk in her jail cell. She glanced at the window and saw that it was still nighttime. "What's going on?"

"We got a bunch coming in from a major arrest," the guard told her. "Two-Face and his gang. We'll need all the cells in this sector just to house them all. You and your buddies are being moved to another jail block. C'mon, Graves, get your shoes on, now."

Mercy did as he ordered, shooting a furtive nod at Vinnie and Phil--who were in the cells adjacent to hers--which indicated that they should be ready, because it was now or never.

"Stand up, turn with your back to the door, hands behind your back," the guard told Mercy, reciting an order he had given time and again.

After cuffing Mercy's hands behind her back through the meal slot in the bars, the guard did the same for Phil and Vinnie. Then, once all three of them were securely cuffed, he opened the doors to their cells and led them out of the cell block in single file.

Mercy realized that the guard was taking a big risk by moving the three of them all by himself. But he probably figured that it was safe, as long as they were all cuffed.

'Boy, is he in for a surprise,' Mercy thought, as she squeezed a pair of tiny bottles together in one hand. The oily substance that was created by blending the two bottles together was harmless to organic material, such as Mercy's hands. But once she applied it to the chains between her cuffs, it began to eat through the metal almost instantly.

After testing it a few times, the links of the chain between her cuffs finally broke, and Mercy was free.

And she wasted no time.

She attacked the startled guard by giving him a sharp jab in the chest with her elbow. He fell to the floor, dazed, as Mercy grabbed his gun and beat him senseless with it.

"Easy, Mercy, easy!" Phil shouted. "We need him as a hostage to get out of here! He's no good to us unconscious!"

"We got a gun," Mercy said, as she undid his handcuffs with the key taken from the guard. "As long as we're armed, we can take _any_ hostage we want."

**B&B**

"Woo-hoo!" Alex joyfully shouted, as the Tumbler rumbled back into the Batcave. She gave Alfred yet another hug as the vehicle came to a halt.

She bounded down the steps and bounced up and down, eagerly waiting as the Tumbler's canopy slowly opened.

Rachel was the first to stand up, giving Alex a broad smile as she did. Alex was taken aback at the fact that she was clad only in a tuxedo jacket. "Oh my God, Rachel, are you ok?"

"I'm fine," she assured Alex, as Batman lifted her out of the vehicle and placed her down on the platform. She came over and embraced Alex tightly. "Nothing happened. I won't be needing the services of the SVU, if you know what I mean."

"Thank God," Alex said. "It's great to see you're all right, too, Bruce. I--wait, where's Liv?"

"She stayed behind to help the police mop up," Robin told her, as he exited the Tumbler.

Alex was about to ask why did Liv have to stay behind when her cell phone abruptly rung. When she answered it, she smiled. "It's Liv!" Speaking into the phone, she said, "Hey, superhero! Where are you?"

She heard Olivia chuckle on the other end of the line. "I'm at the police station. We just brought Harvey Dent and his boys over, and now I've got to sit down and write a report about all of this. So I may be late."

Alex let out a moan. "That's too bad. Everybody else just came back. We miss you at our little victory party."

"Tell her we'll hold off on the victory party until she gets back," Batman said.

"You hear that, Liv?" Alex asked.

**B&B**

Olivia laughed. She was walking down a side corridor that led away from central booking. "Yeah, I heard. Thanks! I'll try to get the paperwork done as fast as I--"

Olivia stopped speaking, and walking, when she glanced up at the sight that appeared before her.

A short young woman with spiky blond hair pointed a gun right at Olivia's face. She wore handcuff bracelets on both of her wrists, with the broken chain dangling from one of the bracelets. Two men stood behind her, also armed with guns.

"Drop the goddamn phone," the woman snarled, "or I drop you!"

"Ok, ok," Olivia said, keeping her voice calm as she placed the phone on the floor. "Just take it easy, and we'll see about getting you whatever you want, all right?"

The woman laughed harshly as she grabbed Olivia and tossed her roughly up against the wall. One of the men grabbed Olivia's wrists and cuffed them behind her back while the woman frisked her for weapons.

"See?" the woman told the men. "Just like I told you: we got ourselves a hostage!"

A stunned Olivia could hear the faint sounds of someone screaming hysterically. She glanced down at the cell phone on the floor, and realized that it was Alex. She had overheard the whole thing.

"I'm sorry, baby," Olivia called down to the phone, "no matter what happens, I love you with all my heart!"

"GET MOVING!" the blond roared, as she shoved the now cuffed and helpless Olivia down the hallway.

**B&B**

"OLIVIA!"

Alex stood staring at the phone, stunned, until she felt a pair of hands firmly grasp her by the shoulders.

It was Batman.

"Alex," he said somberly, "what just happened?"

"Olivia's been taken hostage," Alex said, not even believing her own words. "S-She was speaking to me, and then somebody suddenly threatened her to drop the phone, o-or they would drop her! She was just taken hostage at the jail!"

"Oh dear Lord," Alfred whispered.

"Two-Face," Robin said grimly. "He's making a break out at the jail."

"No! It was a woman. She was bragging about how they now have a hostage! Then Liv was talking next, and she--she said that…no matter what happened…that she…that she loved me…."

Alex then burst into tears.

"Come here, love," Alfred said gently, as he took a crying Alex into his arms. "There, there."

When Batman gazed steadily at Rachel, she just said, "Go. Bring her back home safe."

Batman started to go--then paused to stare at Robin. "You coming, or what?"

"Oh, hell yeah!" Robin eagerly replied.

"No, not the Tumbler," Batman told him, before Robin could run to the vehicle, "we're taking the Batwing this time. It's faster."

Rachel stood and anxiously watched them leave. "All of you, be safe," she whispered. "Please…."

"What the hell h-happened?" Alex sobbed into Alfred's shoulder. "Two-Face was arrested! It was s-supposed to be done! It was supposed to be all over!"

"I'm afraid evil never takes a holiday, Alex," Alfred replied softly. Then he gently lifted her head so Alex was looking right at him. "But, fortunately for us, neither does the Batman."

**B&B**

As the Batwing raced towards Gotham City at top speed, Batman saw the Bat-signal alit in the night skies over the city. He wasn't surprised.

Reaching Gotham City Police Headquarters in record time, Batman made a sweep of the entire roof, first. He saw Montoya was standing on the empty heliport, along with a cadre of armed uniformed officers, and she was in a foul mood: cursing and shaking her fist at something in the night skies.

"Looks like the ones who grabbed Liv made their escape by air," Batman said. "They commandeered a chopper."

"How can you tell?" Robin asked.

"Just an observation," Batman told him. "Let's get it confirmed."

He brought the Batwing into hovering mode on the other side of the rooftop, where an anxious-looking Gordon stood by the Bat-signal.

Batman unbelted himself from the seat, then brought his left gauntlet up to his face. "Stay," he said, giving the Batwing the verbal command to remain in place until needed.

"You mean me?" Robin asked awkwardly from the backseat.

"I meant the Batwing," Batman replied, as he opened the canopy, "but you can remain here, as well. I'll be right back. Don't touch anything."

Robin gestured at the empty pilot's seat in front of him. "Uh, but with you gone, who's piloting the--?"

Batman never heard the rest left of his question, for he jumped out of the Batwing and ran towards Gordon. "What happened, Jim?"

"Olivia's been taken hostage by Mercy Graves and her gang," he replied, looking drained. "We don't know how, but they've managed to slip out of their restraints and overpower a guard. After beating him senseless, they took Olivia hostage. They brought her up to the heliport and stole a chopper--one that had just been prepped for patrol with a full tank of gas!"

"Was Olivia still with them?"

"Yes. Mercy had her lay down on the floor of the chopper, while pointing a gun at Liv's head, to keep Renee and the other cops from charging at them." Gordon looked pained at that memory. "At one point, while they were taking off, Olivia looked right at me--she still had the gun pointed at her--and she mouthed the word: 'Sorry.' Like the whole thing was _her _fault!"

"Which direction did you see them leave in?"

"Northwest, but they cut their running lights and dropped down low, Batman. My guess is they're trying to avoid being seen on radar." Gordon shook his head sadly. "I was just talking with Olivia not more than a half an hour ago, while we were mopping up the Two-Face business. I wish to God I had kept her with me! I never should have let her go, Batman."

"It wasn't your fault, Jim," he said. "You couldn't have known."

As Batman ran back to the Batwing, he overheard a melancholy Gordon reply, "She's a valued member of my police force, Batman. Hell, Olivia might as well be my second daughter…."

'We get her back, Jim,' Batman silently swore, as he sat back down in the pilot's seat of the Batwing. He closed the canopy and then gripped the controls, making the Batwing veer off deep into the night sky.

"Uh, you could have told me this thing had an auto-pilot," Robin said from the backseat. "It would have saved me a lot of worry…."

"Consider this experience as being on the job training," Batman retorted. "If you truly want to do this, then you're going to have to get used to expecting the unexpected."

"Ok. Where are we going now?"

"Metropolis," Batman replied. "Mercy Graves kidnapped Liv, and she works for Lex Luthor, who's based there."

"So you're thinking she's headed for home base with Liv?"

"Exactly."

**B&B**

"Quite a view, huh?" Mercy asked.

Olivia sat staring at the landscape that rushed by out the window of the helicopter. At this time of night, it was nothing more than lights set against the darkness--looking like jewels on black velvet. Olivia wondered if she would live to see a view like this again.

"Hey," Mercy said, tapping Olivia on the leg. "I'm talking to you."

"Yeah, I know," Olivia muttered derisively. "Doesn't mean I have to listen to you."

"Ooooo, a tough bitch, aren't we?" Mercy glanced down at Olivia's police ID, which she had removed from the cuffed woman. "Inspector Olivia Benson, Special Victims Unit. My, how impressive! I don't think I've ever killed an Inspector before."

"I can't contact the heliport at LexCorp," Vinnie informed her from the pilot's seat up front. "They might be closed down for the night."

"It doesn't matter, we're not going there anyway," Mercy told him. "The last thing Luthor needs is for us to be landing on top of his office building with a GCPD Inspector we've taken hostage."

"So where _are_ we going?" Phil asked.

"Warehouse 15," Mercy said. "That's the only safe place for us right now."

"You got it," Vinnie replied, as he made the chopper swerve in the general direction of their destination.

"You'll like Warehouse 15, Inspector," Mercy told Olivia. "They've got these big vats of acid, which they use for scientific stuff. But I can't wait to dip you in one of them and see how long it takes for the flesh to be stripped from your bones."

Olivia kept a poker face, as she glared right back at Mercy. But deep down, she felt a cold wave of fear in the pit of her stomach. 'Hope you're coming for me, Bruce,' she thought. 'Because I could really use your help right now….'

**B&B**

"Very nice," Chloe said, as she admired the surroundings.

She, Lana and Kal-El strode around the spacious digs that were Lana's temporary home in the Metropolis Essex Hotel.

Lana nodded, looking around with a little shrug. "It'll do. At least until I can find a more permanent home in the city."

"But it must be pretty expensive to live in a hotel," Kal-El commented. "Especially in a suite as big as this."

"I can afford it," Lana said. "Thanks to the divorce settlement I got from Lex."

"You finally heard from him?" Kal-El asked.

"Only from his lawyers, whom I met with earlier today," Lana replied. "I got five million dollars."

"Wow!" Chloe said, impressed. "Lana, with that kind of cash, you can even move to Gotham City!"

Yet Kal-El watched Lana carefully. "I take it there were no strings attached?"

"Just a very big string," Lana admitted. "By accepting the money, I also accept a clause which states that I now can't testify against Lex regarding anything I might have seen while I was his wife."

"Oh, that bastard thinks of everything, doesn't he?" Chloe said, irked. "And you still took the money?"

Lana nodded. "For two reasons: the first is that I _still _don't remember what it was I was trying to warn you about, so it doesn't matter anyway. And the second is that I want to use the money to start a foundation, one that will act as sort of a watchdog over Lex and LexCorp. You see, I may not be able to testify about anything I might have seen while I was his wife, but that agreement doesn't cover anything that he's involved with from this point onward."

Chloe smiled. "I like it. It's a good idea, Lana. But as you well know, Lex can play rough."

"And so can we," Lana said.

"'We?'" Lana asked.

Lana smiled slightly. "Well, you've put in plenty of hours seeking out the truth about Lex and his schemes, Chloe. And in my first official act as head of the LexCorp Watchdog Foundation, I'd like to hire you as my full-time investigator. You can be my partner, if you want."

Kal-El patted the back of a stunned Chloe. "And here you've been complaining about having to go back to job hunting. Problem solved."

"It's killing two birds with one stone, actually," Lana said. "You're getting paid full time wages--plus expenses--to do the one thing you love doing: digging up dirt on Lex. So, what will it be, Chloe? Yes, or…."

"Yes, oh God, yes!" she exclaimed. "Wow! This is gonna be great!"

"What about you, Clark?" Lana asked him. "I'd love to have you on the team full time, as well."

When Kal-El thought about it seriously, it sounded very tempting. But he quickly realized that the situation might compromise him, should Cark Kent be seen officially joining such a foundation. "I'd love to, Lana. And thanks for considering me. But I think I'd rather continue the fight against Lex just as I've always been doing."

"I understand," she said. "You make such a big difference right now."

"But I'll still give you whatever help you need," Kal-El told her and Chloe. "All you have to do is ask; that goes for the both of you."

Lana and Chloe nodded in response, but Kal-El noticed that they were no longer looking directly at him. Instead both women gazed with interest at something that appeared to be directly over Kal-El's shoulder.

"Um, Clark," Chloe said, pointing, "what's that?"

Kal-El spun around and stared out the windows. What he saw outside managed to stun even him.

Floating high above in the nighttime skies above Metropolis was the letter 'S'--the very same stylized symbol, his Kyptonian family crest, that he wore on his chest as Superman. Someone was projecting it with a laser onto the clouds, perhaps as a way to get his attention.

Well, it certainly worked.

Lana shook her head, amazed. "I didn't know you had your own version of the Bat-signal, Clark."

"Do you call yours the Super-signal?" Chloe asked, smiling.

"I don't know what you'd call it," Kal-El said, peeved. "Because I don't _have_ any such signal."

"Oh," Chloe said, her eyes anxiously wide. "But if you don't have a signal, then who's sending that?"

"That's what I'm going to find out," he said. "If you ladies will excuse me."

"By all means," Lana said.

Kal-El went outside to the balcony, checked to make sure nobody else was watching, then leapt right off the ledge. He never hit the ground; instead he flew in a straight line towards the strange signal, shedding his clothes, along with his Clark Kent persona, and revealing his Superman suit underneath.

Getting a bead on where the projection was coming from, the rooftop of an old warehouse, Kal-El flew up high to get a look at who was projecting this strange signal. And what he saw managed to startle him even more.

The signal was being emitted from a large Bat-winged shaped vehicle that was parked on the roof.

Kal-El was both relieved and concerned at the same time; he was relieved that the signal wasn't from a super villain who was calling him out for a fight, and he was concerned that it was from the Batman. The Dark Knight rarely left Gotham City, and for him to be here tonight, calling Superman, it must mean a dire situation was afoot.

Batman switched off the signal once Kal-El landed on the roof. The Dark Knight strode up to him and said, "Olivia Benson has been aducted by Mercy Graves. I need to know where she would go. What would be her favorite place to hide?"

Once again this evening, Kal-El found himself taken aback. "I thought Mercy was under arrest in Gotham City."

"She broke out with her gang," Batman said, sounding impatient. "I know she works for Luthor. Would she risk coming directly to the LexCorp building?"

Kal-El shook his head. "Not unless she wanted to risk being thrown off of it by Luthor himself. No, she would go to a safe place--someplace that was owned by Luthor himself. Maybe Warehouse 15...that's certainly isolated enough. I'll go check it out, now."

"No, you'll lead us to it," Batman told him.

"I realize that Olivia Benson is a good friend of yours, Batman, but--"

"Olivia is more than a friend to me," Batman snarled, "she's family! And if I find out that the devil's got her, then I'll go straight into hell itself to find her. Understand?"

"Yes, I do," Kal-El said softly. He glanced over and saw a young man, dressed in a red and green outfit with a yellow cape, leaning against the Bat-wing. "Hello."

"Hey," the young masked man replied. If he was impressed at meeting the Man Of Steel, he didn't show it.

"Friend of yours?" Superman asked Batman.

"Another member of my family," Batman replied. "And we're both growing very impatient. Shall we?"

"Yes," Kal-El said. "Let's go."

**B&B**

"Let me do the talking," Luthor told his junior executives, as they all got out of the limo. "I know how to deal with these feds."

The camp that had been set up in the field next to Warehouse 15 was impressive, considering it didn't exist just an hour ago. 'But that's what you get once the FBI rears its ugly head,' Luthor thought. 'They'll move mountains in a feeble attempt to impress people of their might and power, when they were really nothing more than glorified bureaucrats--dullards in expensive suits.'

After telling a state trooper who he was, Luthor was directed to the command tent, located in the middle of the camp. He entered by making as grand an entrance as he could by gazing around the frenzied group of people who were either manning the phones or working on laptop computers.

"Excuse me," he said boldly. "I'm Lex Luthor. May I ask who's in charge, here?"

A man waved him over to the folding table in the center of the tent. He had dark brown hair and stood with a short, redheaded woman. As Luthor strode over to him, the agent turned to Luthor and extended his hand.

"Special Agent Fox Mulder and Special Agent Dana Scully," he said, nodding at the red haired woman. "FBI. You say you're Lex Luthor?"

Luthor shook Mulder's hand. "I am indeed. I arrived as soon as I heard about this situation. How can I help?"

"You can start by telling us just what it is you do in this Warehouse 15 of yours," Agent Scully said curtly to him.

Luthor was momentarily startled by her bluntness. But he quickly rebounded. "Ah, direct and straight to the point," he replied, pouring on as much charm as he could. "I like that in a person!"

"You don't know how happy that makes us," Mulder said, dripping with sarcasm. "Now, if you truly want to help, Mr. Luthor, you can start by answering her question. What exactly do you do here at Warehouse 15? What's the purpose of this facility?"

'Oboy,' Luthor anxiously thought, 'these two a little quicker on the uptake than your usual feds….'

"Strictly scientific research, that's all," Luthor told them. "Why? What's happened?"

"There have been reports of mass disappearances of people from the towns that surround this facility," Mulder told him. "We traced those people--just about all of them--to right here, inside your Warehouse 15 facility."

"That's amazing," Luthor lied. He knew full well what was going on behind the fence of Warehouse 15--actually, he knew even more; Luthor knew what the cause of all of this was--but he played dumb so not to incriminate himself. "Wait, are you saying the staff at Warehouse 15 has abducted these people?"

"That's what we tried to find out earlier today," Mulder said. "But when we approached the perimeter of Warehouse 15, we were fired upon."

"And all phone lines have been cut," Scully added.

"I don't believe this," Luthor said, feigning surprise. "Give me a minute, I'll try and see if I can't contact Rodger Swanson, he's my administrator here. I'll call his cell."

He pulled out his cell phone and speed-dialed Rodger Swanson, knowing full well that the man would not answer--because Swanson was one of the people whom he saw praying to the mutated starfish they called Starro on the video. But still, he had to put on a good show of plausible deniability for the feds.

After a moment, Luthor shook his head. "Nothing. This is damn peculiar!"

"Mr. Luthor, you've deftly avoided our question before, so I'll ask it again," Mulder said. "Exactly what _kind_ of scientific research do your people do at this facility?"

"I've told you, just...scientific research. That's all."

"Your company, LexCorp, is a major arms dealer, is it not?" Scully asked.

"Yes, with our biggest customer being the United States government," Luthor replied. "But Warehouse 15 isn't involved in weapons development. We've recently began our own space program, launching unmanned probes, that sort of thing. Warehouse 15 is our research facility for anything that's brought back from space."

Mulder leaned towards him. "Have you brought anything back from space?"

"No, nothing," Luthor said. "We've just received information--data that was sent back to us from the probes via radio, that's all."

Scully angrily folded her arms in front of her chest. "Why do I get the impression you're being less than honest with us, here?"

Luthor responded with an attack of his own. "You know, I don't think I like this tone of yours. I am here to offer whatever help I can, and you two seem to act like I'm the cause of--"

He was cut off when a female FBI agent ran into tent. "Agents Mulder and Scully! We've got an incoming aircraft! It's a helicopter, heading straight for the facility."

"What?" Mulder said. "Have you tried to warn them off?"

The agent nodded. "There's no response. And, what's even stranger: it's a police helicopter from Gotham City!"

**B&B**

"What the hell happened?" Mercy said, as their stolen chopper landed on the platform. "Where is everybody?"

Olivia wondered the same thing, as well. The facility known as Warehouse 15 was empty and darkened, which gave it a somewhat creepy feeling. Still, the dark offered plenty of hiding places…assuming she could take advantage of a moment to escape her captors.

After they powered down the chopper, Mercy opened the door, being careful to keep a firm grip on the back of Olivia's neck the whole time.

"I'm more worried about them," Vinnie said. He pointed at the large camp that had been set up in the surrounding fields.

Olivia had seen the camp as they flew over it earlier. It appeared to be the temporary base for a large collection of law enforcement agents. Was it all for her? Did Gordon manage to send an APB out on Olivia and her captors? She certainly hoped so.

"Let's get inside," Mercy said. "I'll find a secure phone, so I can contact--"

Before she could finish, a pair of doors on the side of a building flew open, revealing a mob of screaming people who ran onto the heliport with their hands reaching out for them.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Phil shouted. He tried to aim his gun at them, but the ragged group of people--who all kept chanting something over and over--were too fast. They tackled Phil and Vinnie to the ground and disarmed them.

Olivia was horrified to see Mercy aim her gun at a little boy who fearlessly ran up to her. Olivia kicked Mercy down to the ground, where the boy, along with several other people, ravenously attacked her.

Once Olivia's captors were subdued, the strange collection of chanting people, who even included a pair of high school cheerleaders, as well as a band member from the same school, raised them up in the air and carried them back into the building. Mercy still tried to put up a fight, but there were just too many hands holding her.

Olivia finally understood the word they kept repeating, over and over, like a mantra: "Starro…Starro…Starro…."

Although she understood the word, she still didn't know what it meant. Olivia continued to watch this bizarre scene, like something out of one of those zombie movies, until the little boy--along with several adults--abruptly turned from the pack and focused their attention on Olivia.

"Oh, Christ," Olivia muttered, as she started running for the nearest building. She didn't know what the hell was happening--or why this evening just kept going from bad to worse--but she wasn't going to stick around and try to get answers from this frenzied mob of fanatics.

**B&B**

"Good God," Scully cried, as she watched the horrific scene through a pair of binoculars.

Mulder was also stunned--not only at how the people from the chopper were so savagely attacked, but at the fact that the attackers appeared to be made up of the disappeared from the surrounding towns.

'There's something far more going on here than just research on data from unmanned probes,' he thought. 'And whatever it is, Luthor knows far more about it than he's saying.'

"Mulder!" Scully cried, pointing at the facility. "Look!"

When Mulder raised the binoculars to his eyes again, he watched as a dark-haired woman, dressed all in black, desperately ran from the same maddened crowd of people. Her arms were behind her back, and Mulder quickly realized that her hands had been bound behind her.

He watched, silently rooting for her, as the woman reached a door and managed to open it with her hands behind her. The zombie-like crowd reached the door and pounded on it, enraged, for a few seconds. Then one of them had the sense to pull on the handle, opening it, and they all spilled inside the building.

"Oh, my God," Scully said. "That poor woman!"

"She probably got a head start on them while they wasted time pounding on the door," Mulder said. "She should be all right, hiding in the building, until we can get to her."

"Mulder, did you see her hands?" Scully asked.

He nodded. "She was a hostage. The very same hostage who was abducted from Gotham City and taken in a stolen police chopper. Remember, Scully?"

"Yes, it was in an APB that the GCPD sent out." Scully shook her head. "Mulder, that APB said that the hostage was Inspector Olivia Benson!"

"Who we just saw running for her life from a pack of mindless zombies--zombies who were made up of people who were declared missing from the surrounding towns in this area, Scully."

Mulder strode over to Luthor, who stood with them outside the tent. "I also recall from that APB that one of the people who abducted Inspector Benson was Mercy Graves. Don't you have a Mercy Graves on your payroll, Mr. Luthor?"

Luthor just shook his head in disgust. "I'm sorry, Agent Mulder. But I really don't like your tone. I think I shall take my leave, and--"

"Troopers," Mulder called to the state troopers who stood guard outside the tent. "Stop that man from leaving!"

"What the hell?" Luthor shouted, as the troopers each grabbed him by an arm and hauled him back over to Mulder. "What do you think you're doing, Agent Mulder?!"

"Getting to the bottom of this," Mulder replied harshly. "You have some explaining to do, Mr. Luthor. And if you don't tell me _everything_ I need to know about this situation, then I'll have you arrested for deliberately impeding this investigation. Am I clear?"

For once, Luthor appeared to be completely at a loss for words as he stared at Mulder in shock.

**B&B**

Olivia grunted as she bent her legs up.

She lay on the floor in one of the labs, making an attempt to swing her cuffed hands past her feet. But in laying on her side, she lay on her right arm, and it was hard to move it. So, with another grunt, she rolled her body so that she lay on her back with her knees still up to her chest. Olivia found this to be an easier position to swing her cuffed wrists over her feet.

She sat up, letting out a relieved sigh. Her wrists were still cuffed, but they were now in front of her, making it far easier for Olivia to grab whatever she needed.

She had burst into this lab, looking for a place to hide, when she had tripped and fallen flat on her face. Olivia lay there, dazed, as the horde of angered zombies abruptly ran past the doorway. In their blood-lust frenzy to catch her, they ran right past without ever even seeing Olivia helplessly lying there.

Now, she got up and warily peeked into the hallway.

The ceiling lights were flickering badly, and there were spilled papers and other assorted items all over the floor. There were no sign of the zombies, but Olivia could still faintly hear them, all still chanting "Starro" in that flat, emotionless tone of voice.

'What the hell happened here?' Olivia fearfully wondered. These people acted like zombies in a horror movie, but they weren't dead; they looked like they were still alive, but they lacked the higher intelligence that made humans individuals--instead they acted like members of a group hive mind.

'And who--or what--was this Starro?' Olivia thought, as she quickly rummaged through a desk in the lab. She was looking for something to use to pick the lock on her cuffs. 'Was Starro their leader?'

"Damn it," she muttered, when she couldn't find a piece of metal thin and strong enough to use to pick the cuffs. She picked up the phone, and really wasn't surprised to find that it was dead. This entire installation looked like it had been devastated.

Olivia sat down in the chair and stared despondently at the floor. She thought about making a run for it outside, but the place was surrounded by a high fence. And she didn't want to try and outrun these zombies while caught out in the open.

The authorities were camped out just a few hundred yards from here--and Olivia realized now that they had probably been called because of the bizarre situation that had sprung up inside this facility. Help was already here, so all she really had to do was just tough it out and stay alive until the FBI, or whoever was out there, could get in here.

Olivia flinched when she heard the sounds. It was a series of loud banging noises that echoed through the walls. Olivia fearfully wondered what it could be, until she realized that it could be a call for help. The zombie people might have captured some others and locked them away, and the captives could be banging against the wall, in a desperate struggle to call for help.

Taking a deep breath in an effort to brace herself, Olivia stood up and tried to figure out where the sound was emanating from. She figured she wouldn't be much of a rescue party for these poor souls, but it would be better--for both Olivia and these captives--if she met up with them. Who knows, one of them might even have handcuff keys!

'There,' Olivia realized, hearing the banging coming from a doorway on the other side of the lab. She ran over and opened the door, which led into a large, well-lit room that had a series of massive cages.

And, dwelling within each of these cages, was a creature born straight from a nightmare.

Green in color, they were huge, hulking figures that were twice the height of an average man, with large, reptilian-like heads and yellow eyes. Several of them bashed their heads against the metal bars of their cage, letting out inhuman shrieks as they did. Olivia saw with growing horror that the cages that contained them were beginning to break; the metal bars were badly bent and twisted where the creatures tore at them.

'They don't need to be rescued,' Olivia thought, as she fearfully backed up against a wall. 'If anything, _I _need to be rescued…from them!'

One of the creatures, sensing Olivia's presence, stabbed out its claw through the bars in an attempt to grab her.

Letting out a startled cry, Olivia ran away in a panic. She went to the first door she could find and went inside, closing it shut behind her. Olivia found herself in another lab, and this time she heard another sound.

It was a male voice, crying out as if in absolute pain.

Olivia whirled around and saw him.

He was a green man--completely bald, with a pronounced brow--who was clad in a blue garment and boots. He was strapped down to what appeared to be a medical examination table. He had a bandage covering his left forearm. At first Olivia thought he was like the creatures in the cages outside, but she saw that he was different--and not just physically. He appeared to be very gentle, and more intelligent.

There was literally a ring of fire that surrounded the strange man. It was a circular pipe that enfolded the table, from the top of which spouted small jets of flame which, collectively, created a controlled inferno that continuously blazed around the strange man. This was what caused him so much pain. The flames weren't close enough to burn him directly, but their proximity apparently still created great discomfort for him.

Then the strange green man glanced right at Olivia and said: "Please, help me. The fire…."

Olivia didn't know what had shocked her more, the man's outer-worldly appearance, or the fact that he spoke perfect English. But whoever he was, _whatever_ he was, this strange man needed her help. Olivia quickly looked for an off switch on the flame bars, and found it. Once she switched off the flames, the strange green man let out a heavy sigh of relief.

"Is that better?" Olivia asked.

"Yes, thank you so much." He gazed at her with mysteriously dark eyes. "I see your wrists are bound. Are you also a captive of those in charge of this place?"

"I was taken hostage," Olivia said. "I was brought here."

Olivia was startled when the green man abruptly tore through his restrains as if they were made of paper. He wearily sat up on the edge of the table and held out a hand to her. "Come, allow me to return the favor by relieving you of your restrains."

When Olivia hesitated, staring at him uneasily, he added, "I will not harm you. I swear. I only wish to help you as you have helped me."

His voice was so richly deep and eloquent, that it somehow made Olivia trust him. Yet she was still wary as she walked over to him, offering her cuffed hands and hoping he wouldn't bite them.

He reached out and, grabbing one of the handcuffs between his fingers, effortlessly snapped it off of her wrist. He did the same with the other, and Olivia now stood with her wrists completely free.

"Thank you," she gratefully said. "My name is Olivia Benson, of the Gotham City Police. Um, I take that you're not from around here?"

He chuckled slightly. "Yes, your assumption is correct. I am the last of my kind...from the planet that you know of as Mars. My name...is J'onn J'onzz."

**To Be Continued...**


	15. Chapter 15

_My thanks to Ray1, futureforensic, AnotherChance, Michael Weyer, OrionTheHunter, RebelByrdie and D.J. Scales for their reviews. _

**Batman & Benson 3**

**Chapter Fifteen**

Starro watched and waited.

And was most pleased.

All of the elements of his plan were falling into place. Soon, It would cleanse the earth of the infestation from these filthy mammals, making it a paradise fit for It to rule over as its rightful lord and master.

They served their purpose, these filthy humans; they made for good slaves who were fit for manual labor. Yet there were too many of them--they swarmed over the surface of the earth like an unruly pestilence. In order to make the human species more acceptable, and controllable, Starro would have to thin the herd.

Starting tonight.

Starro was pleased when his slaves brought more prisoners before him. Two males and a females. The males were weak-minded, and succumbed to Starro's will the moment It entered their brains. But the female was tougher, stronger-willed, and so Starro drilled into her mind with It's formidable mental ability. It turned out that the female's name was Mercy, which--as Starro discovered when It probed her mind and her memories--was oddly ironic, since she was considered to be a ruthless predator among the humans.

Still, she was uncontrollable, and so Starro condemned her to constant mental torment--which should beat her down to the point where she will be a proper slave. Either that, or she will die.

As Mercy was hauled away to suffer her agony, Starro was alarmed to feel a surge of mental power elsewhere in the facility. He remembered that there had been four people aboard the flying machine that had landed here in his domain. Starro had ignored the fourth person, a dark-haired woman, because she had been bound--It had assumed she was a slave belonging to the others, and since she had been their slave, she would naturally have obediently become a slave of Starro's.

But Starro had been wrong, so terribly wrong….

She _was_ a captive--but the dark-haired woman was still indomitable, her spirit unbroken. Starro realized that she had avoided capture from his slaves and found the captured Martian. And she…freed him? She…_FREED THE MARTIAN?!_

This was simply unacceptable. The Martian, as well as the dark-haired woman, must die.

Now.

**B&B**

Olivia cautiously peered through the glass panel on the door. The hallway beyond looked empty, but she didn't know how long it would stay that way.

"I guess you wouldn't know of a way out of here, would you?" she asked J'onn.

When she received no answer, Olivia spun around and saw that he was doubled over, his hands on his head, looking to be in great pain.

"J'onn!" Olivia cried, as she ran over to him. "What's wrong?"

"It's the other," J'onn said, his voice straining with great effort. "It is probing me, trying to get into my mind…."

"What other?" Olivia asked, as she helplessly watched him suffer. "Is it this Starro guy…or thing?"

J'onn abruptly stood up with an ear-splitting yell that made Olivia take a few involuntary steps back. She noted that he abruptly looked much better, although J'onn was breathing heavily, as if he had just run a complete marathon. Olivia had a crazy thought: what if he needed CPR? She knew it, and had performed it on people in the past--but would CPR work on somebody like J'onn? Were his lungs in the same place? Did he even _have_ lungs?

"I am fine, Olivia," he said, sounding more stronger. "My exposure to the fire had weakened me greatly, but my strength slowly returns."

"What just happened there?"

"The creature you call Starro had tried to enter my mind, but I blocked it," J'onn replied. "I can continue blocking it, now. But I fear he may strike at us through another method."

A chill ran up Olivia's spine. "If this Starro can enter people's minds, then why doesn't he try for mine?"

"He's too far out of range to try and affect you, Olivia. He tried to attack me because I have telepathic powers--thus, we had a mental link, if you will. But I've since sealed it between us."

Olivia nodded. "You said he'd try and attack us through another method? How?"

Olivia flinched once she heard a blood-chilling sound. It was a continuous, ear-shattering roar that echoed through the very walls of the facility. J'onn ran to the rear door--the one which Olivia had come through earlier--and grimly shook his head.

When Olivia joined him by the door, she peered through the glass, at the caged creatures within, and let out a gasp.

The greenish monsters were all kneeling in their cages, their heads raised up at the ceiling, as if listening to an unheard voice. Then they let out another soul-shattering roar in unison as they began battering at their cages with a renewed fury.

"It's Starro," J'onn whispered to Olivia. "It is controlling them, now."

"What are those things, anyway?" Olivia asked.

J'onn lightly touched the bandage on his arm. "I believe they are me. Or a part of me--cloned from the cells which had been taken from my arm."

"By Starro?"

"No, by the people who used to run this installation. Starro turned out to be an unpleasant surprise for them, as well."

One of the monsters let out a triumphant roar as his battered cage finally gave in to his persistent pounding. Then another of the creatures celebrated its freedom--and soon, a third.

J'onn firmly grasped Olivia's arm. "We should leave, now."

"No argument here," Olivia muttered, as they ran as fast as they could from the lab.

**B&B**

"I'm telling you the damned truth!" Luthor shouted at Mulder. "I don't _know_ what the hell is going on in there!"

"So there won't be any surprises waiting for us when we storm the place?" Mulder asked him. "Is that what you're saying?"

Luthor gave him a helpless shrug. "I certainly hope not, Agent Mulder! I don't wish any harm on you, even though you have treated me like a common criminal!"

"If we've treated you like a common criminal, it's because you've been acting like one," Mulder replied. "I still can't shake the feeling that you know more about this situation than you're letting on, Mr. Luthor."

One of Luthor's entourage, a woman with blond hair, stepped forward. "Mr. Luthor has told you everything he knows. If you're going to charge him with a crime, then I suggest you do so right now. Either that, or let Mr. Luthor go."  
"Who are you?" Scully asked. "His lawyer?"

"Yes," she replied, her tone crisp. "As a matter of fact, I am."

Luthor smiled up at Mulder from the folding chair in which he sat. "Lawyers, never leave home without them!"

When Scully made a slight gesture with her hand, she and Mulder stepped several feet away from Luthor so they could converse in private.

"He's lying Scully," Mulder insisted heatedly. "You know it, as well."

"That may well be the case, Mulder, but this is still a dead end," she replied. "Even if Luthor is hiding something from us--and I've no doubt that he is--he's too smart to tip his hand to us. And in the meanwhile, we're wasting time arguing with him."

"Not to mention the fact that Isla, the Viking Warrior Lawyer just called my bluff," Mulder said grimly. "So I guess this means I just order the HRT to launch an all-out assault, without knowing for sure who or what we're dealing with?"

"I can't see what other choice we have, Mulder…."

"Excuse me," a man called into the tent. "I'd like to offer my help."

Scully, who stood facing the tent opening, let out a sharp gasp as she pointed at something amazing. When Mulder turned to look, he instantly understood her astonished reaction.

It was Superman.

All activity in the command tent ceased as the Man Of Steel stepped inside. The reactions from everyone was mostly the same: awe, amazement and shock--with the notable exception being Luthor, who glared at Superman with disgust.

"Just what we need," Luthor muttered, "the flying boy scout."

"Actually, you're _exactly _what we need, Superman," a grateful Mulder spoke up. He introduced himself and Scully, and explained the situation on their end.

"As much as I'd like to do a recon for you," Superman told them, "I can't--thanks to the lead-lined walls of the buildings in that facility."

When Superman glanced sharply at him, Luthor just smugly nodded his head. "I will do whatever I must to ensure my privacy as a private citizen in these still-free United States--especially from a flying voyeur with X-ray vision!"

"Which is why I've asked the Batman to do a fly over with the Batwing," Superman evenly replied. "He should be back any moment now."

"The Batman?!" Scully said. She sounded very impressed. "I thought he never left Gotham City."

"He rarely does," Superman said. "But he's got a very personal stake in this case."

Mulder nodded in understanding. "Olivia Benson--otherwise known in the media as Batman's Buddy, Scully. Remember?"

"Yes, of course." Scully sadly shook her head. "I hope she's all right."

"We saw the Gotham City Police helicopter parked at the facility when we arrived," Superman informed them.

"And we saw Benson," Mulder said. He filled Superman in on their sighting of Olivia Benson running from the zombie-like crowd that gave chase to her.

"You've done some irresponsible things before, Superman," Luthor said. "But teaming up with that masked maniac certainly takes the cake!"

"You're the very last person to talk about being irresponsible, Luthor," Superman replied. "And I'd be careful about what I'd say about the Dark Knight, before he hears you."

"Too late," an eerie voice whispered.

Everybody was stunned to see Batman standing in the darkened corner of the tent, behind the computer table. He stepped forward into the light and said, "There are several large laser batteries set up all around the perimeter of the facility, all aimed outwards. It's obvious their purpose is to thwart any large scale assault."

"Laser batteries?!" Mulder spun on Luthor. "I thought you said there was no weapons development being done here."

"Once again, I swear to all of you that I have no--"

"Yeah…whatever," Scully sarcastically said, cutting Luthor off. "You have absolutely no idea, right? Then how do you explain the presence of these lasers?"

"It wouldn't take much to convert an industrial laser into a weapon, Agent Scully," Superman told her.

"You're saying you believe Luthor?" Scully asked, surprised.

"I'm not a fan of Luthor's, but I'm also not a fan of blaming an innocent person, either."

"Luthor tried to get Catwoman to steal something for him from the Star Labs in Gotham City," Batman said. "It was irradiated bottom feeders from the ocean floor. They were exposed to interstellar radiation by NASA astronauts on a recent space mission."

Luthor sneered at him. "I don't know what you're talking about. I never did any such thing."

"Oh you didn't do it yourself," Batman said. "You were careful enough to get your hired muscle, Mercy Graves, to force Catwoman into working for you by abducting a close personal friend of Catwoman's."

Luthor's blond attorney pointed at Batman. "These are serious accusations you're making. Would this Catwoman, or her friend, be interested in speaking about them in a court of law?"

"You know they would never do that," Batman said, staring straight at Luthor, "which was why you chose to deal with them in the first place."

Batman turned to Superman. "I believe Luthor when he says he has nothing to do with this present situation."

"There you go!" Luthor said with a broad grin. "Thank you, Batman!"

"But he's still lying through his teeth," Batman said, as he shot a disgusted look at Luthor. "He still knows far more about this situation than he's letting on."

"And how would you know that?" Luthor angrily asked.

"LexCorp has its own space program, which consists of unmanned probes," Batman said to Superman, Mulder and Scully. "I'm willing to bet that something went wrong on one of his probe missions--some sort of mishap occurred when the test animals on board were exposed to space radiation."

"Which would be why Luthor wanted Catwoman to steal the specimens from Star Labs," Superman said. "To learn if the same thing happened to the NASA creatures."

"And possibly get insight in how to deal with them," Mulder added.

"Yes. I think that when Luthor had his specimens brought back to earth--to right here, something went very wrong," Batman said. "Which caused Luthor and his people to quickly lose control of their facility."

"Which suggests the facility has been taken over by an alien force," Mulder said. "One that has somehow turned the missing people into some kind of zombies, under some sort of mind control."

"That would be the most likely conclusion," Superman added. He glanced at Luthor. "Does this sound right, Lex?"

"Complete and utter nonsense," Luthor replied with a scoff. "I admit that there's something wrong here, but I don't know what--"

He was cut off when Superman abruptly waved his hand at him. "Save it, Lex. I've heard it all before. And, once again, you leave others with no choice but to clean up _your_ mess…."

Batman glanced at Mulder. "Were you aware that this facility also has its own power station?"

"Yes. We've cut the power to them from the main grid, and so far the place has remained dark--so, hopefully, they haven't realized that they've got their own juice yet."

"The power station within the facility is showing massive heat signatures on infrared," Batman warned him. "It appears they--whoever or whatever they are--have already switched on the juice."

"But the lights are still out all over the installation," Mulder said, nonplussed.

"Perhaps the energy generated by the facility's power plant is being diverted to something else?" Scully suggested.

"But to what?" Superman asked.

They were all startled by a low rumbling sound that shook the very ground beneath their feet. The menacing rumbling continued.

"Looks like we're about to find out," Batman said ominously.

**B&B**

"It just started a few seconds ago," Hal Farley, the commander of the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team told Mulder once they had stepped outside.

"Good God," Scully murmured, as she stared up in awe and terror at the golden beam of light that stabbed up into the night sky. The column of light emitted from somewhere within the center of the Warehouse 15 facility, and as she glanced up, she was stunned to see it was aimed directly at the full moon that hung above them. "Is the facility using the laser to target the moon?"

"I think the laser _is _the weapon," Superman said, "rather than just being a targeting device. It may be a beam of light now, but it's steadily building in intensity."

"And _I _think the time for talking is over," Batman said. "We need to assault the facility and stop this, now."

Superman nodded. "I'm ready if you are."

**B&B**

It had been a frustrating day for Hal Jordan.

Since very early that morning, Ferris Aircraft had been gearing up for the first flight of the new F-30 prototype jet fighter. And Hal was all set to pilot the bird--at least until the engine crapped out during the routine maintenance check, sending the fighter back into the hanger so her engine could be switched out.

Hal had patiently waited, figuring he would simply be going up in the afternoon, instead of morning--but then he got the bad news that the replacement engine had been burned out, as well. It was now clear that there was something seriously wrong with the fighter, which had been permanently grounded--as was Hal--until the problem could be figured out.

When evening came, Hal found Carol staring contemplatively out at the desert which surrounded Ferris Aircraft, the business she had inherited from her father. He strode up to her and said, "Sorry about the big bust today."

"It happens," she said with a sigh. "Gil and his crew have promised to work on through the night to get the problem solved. Meanwhile, I've managed to convince General Ross and the other top brass to spend the night in town--with Ferris Aircraft footing the bill. If all goes well, we should have something to show…what the hell?!"

Hal saw that she had been interrupted by the sudden appearance of a shining lance of light that shot upwards into the sky. He couldn't blame Carol for being startled, because it was quite a sight to behold. It was to the east, maybe several hundred miles away from them; yet--even at this distance--the beam of light was still eye-catching.

It was also troubling.

"Probably some promotional stunt," he told her. "A new mall opening, or something like that."

"Are you sure, Hal?" Carol asked, not convinced. "Because, if that's a spotlight, then it's got to be the brightest in the universe."

"Yeah, you know these promoters; they'll use anything to attract attention. Listen, I think I'll make it an early night, tonight. See you in the morning, Carol."

"Yeah," she replied, unable to take her eyes off the beam of light. "Goodnight, Hal."

Hal quickly retreated to the small apartment he stayed in at the pilot's dorm--the Sky High Hotel, as they liked to call it--and shut the door. He quickly went to his bedroom closet, where he retrieved a large object in a duffel bag from the top shelf. Unzipping the bag, Hal removed the lantern and placed it on top of his dresser.

'It's been over a day,' he thought, glancing down at the emerald ring he wore on the middle finger of his right hand. 'Time to recharge.'

Once he placed his hand inside the lantern, it produced a powerfully green glow that recharged the ring. While this occurred, Hal recited: "In brightest day, in blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight; let those who worship evil's might, beware my power...Green Lantern's light!"

Once fully charged, Hal Jordan became the Green Lantern just by thinking about it. His regular clothes vanished, instantly replaced by the familiar black and green outfit and mask. He silently flew out the window and into the night sky.

'Now let's see what this is all about,' Green Lantern thought, as he shot straight towards the location where the lance of light shot up into the sky.

**B&B**

"And so I told Gale, I said: look, you're not fulfilling _my_ needs, y'know?" Lawrence babbled on, as he continued to twirl his fork in his spaghetti.

Diana Prince stared down at the ball of spaghetti on Lawrence's fork, which continued to grow and grow until it was so big that it couldn't possibly fit into the man's mouth.

Not that Lawrence stopped talking long enough to actually take a bite. Once Diana had asked him about his former girlfriend, Lawrence--who was supposed to be on a date with _her_--was off and running about all the terrible things that his ex-girlfriend did to him, which included trying to call him Larry, when she knew full well he preferred to be called Lawrence!

Despite her best efforts to be polite, Diana found her attention wandering. She thought about her best friend, Jeanne, who Diana worked with at the State Department. Jeanne had set Diana up on this date with Lawrence, her brother. Diana couldn't help but wonder if she did or said something to annoy Jeanne--because she _had_ to know that her brother was a babbling idiot who never shut up.

'Unless Jeanne considered _this_ to be normal behavior!' Diana wondered.

"And so do you know what Gale said to me?" Lawrence babbled on. "She says grow up, Larry! Can you believe that? Can you believe _she _said _that_ to _me_?"

Diana wearily shook her head in reply, idly wondering what Lawrence _("Don't call me Larry!") _would look like wearing the spaghetti--which he continued to endlessly twirl into an ever-growing ball on his fork.

The humorous mental image of a spaghetti-covered Lawrence was shattered within Diana's mind when she saw several of the other patrons in the restaurant abruptly stand up and run excitedly over to the window.

"What's going on?" Diana said, pleased for the distraction. She quickly got up from the table.

"Wait, I-I'm not finished speaking, yet," Lawrence cried after her. "Where are you going?!"

Ignoring him, Diana went over to the window, where the gawking crowd stood. It wasn't hard for her to see what they were so excited about: a golden lance of light, looking to be coming from the north of them, that shot up into the night sky.

"Is it hitting the moon?" one of the restaurant patrons asked as he craned his neck to see. "It looks like it's hitting the moon!"

"It's so pretty!" a woman exclaimed.

But to Diana, the mysterious beam of light was an ominous portent--one that must be dealt with, right now.

"Where are you going?" Lawrence cried, as she walked right past him. "Was it something I said?!"

Diana reluctantly stopped and turned to face him. "I'm afraid I've become ill," she lied. "But I had a lovely time. Enjoy your spaghetti, Larry."

"It's Lawrence!" he whined. "Didn't Jeanne _tell_ you I _don't_ like to be called--"

His voice was cut off as Diana Prince quickly left the restaurant and strode out to an empty section of the parking lot. Making sure there was nobody around, Diana held out her arms and began to spin. Within the flash of a bright light, she had shed her regular clothing to become Wonder Woman.

With a single leap, Wonder Woman took flight in the night air, headed for the source of the beam of light.

**B&B**

"Not this stuff again," Barry Allen muttered, as he watched the TV with disgust. "Honey, I work as a crime scene technician all day. The last thing I need to watch on TV when I'm home at night is…more crime scene technicians."

"But it's the good one," Iris argued. "It's the show that takes place in Florida."

"You just like it because of the way this guy takes off his sunglasses," Barry playfully teased is wife, as he gestured at the star of the series. When the opening titles were interrupted for a news flash, he began to joyously clap. "Oh, yes! Thank you!"

"Shhh!" Iris went, waving a hand at her husband. "I wanna hear this…."

Barry's happy mood at missing his least favorite TV show dissipated once he saw what was going on in a Kansas field. A research facility owned by Lex Luthor had been seized by an unknown force, which had shot a strange laser beam straight up at the moon.

Barry was stunned to hear that both Superman and Batman were on the scene.

"Batman?" Iris said. "I thought he never left Gotham City."

"Me, too," Barry said. He grew very thoughtful as he absently began drumming his fingers on the edge of this seat.

"Barry?" Iris asked.

"Um, yeah, hon?"

"Just go, all right?"

"No, it's ok," Barry told her. "I mean, after all, Superman and Batman--two major league guys--are there. What would they me for, right?"

"If you're going to stay home, then please stop drumming your fingers!" Iris said, agitated. "It's very annoying!"

Barry grew sheepish when he'd realized that not only had he been drumming his fingers, but he had been doing so at high speed--which must have been _really_ annoying for Iris to listen to. "Oh, sorry…."

She affectionately rubbed his arm. "Look, why don't you just go? In as little time that it takes you to get there, you can find out if you can be of help or not."

When Barry saw that the TV had switched back to the annoying crime show that he hated, he was all that more eager to get out of the house. "All right, honey."

He pressed the ring he wore on his right hand, which instantly released his compressed Flash costume; it expanded to normal size once it was exposed to the air. He got dressed within the blink of an eye. Iris stood up and regarded him with a smile. "You look great."

"Thanks. Hopefully, this won't take long."

"And Barry," Iris added, as she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Please be careful."

"Always," he said, returning her kiss.

He ran out the door and was already more than halfway across the country in thirty seconds. By the time Iris had sat down to watch her favorite show, Barry had arrived at the site.

**B&B**

"Katar, look," Shayera pointed out the window. "It appears to be growing brighter."

Katar Hol nodded grimly as he checked the nth metal supply in his wing harness. "The laser grows in strength. It is a weapon; powering up to full blast."

Shayera stared up at the night sky over St. Roch in puzzlement. "The operators of this weapon, they intend to destroy the moon?"

"We shall see, and deal with the matter, once we get there," Katar said, as he placed his Hawkman helmet-mask over his head. "Are you ready, my love?"

Shayera nodded, having already placed her Hawkgirl helmet-mask on. "To fight beside you once again in battle, Katar, I am always ready, my dearest."

"Then may this new hunt prove victorious for us," Hawkman said, as he and Hawkgirl soared up into the moonlit skies. "And may the gods help those who stand against us…."

**B&B**

"You sure know how to show a girl a good time, Ollie!"

Oliver Queen grinned as he glanced back at Dinah Lance, who sat behind him on the motorcycle. "Hey, you were the one complaining about how dull Metropolis was, babe.…"

"I meant that we should go check out the action in Gotham City," she retorted. "Not chase down some light show in the Kansas sticks."

When Oliver saw it, he immediately brought the bike to a stop on the dirt road. He pointed and said, "Does _that _still look like a light show to you, Dinah?"

"Oh my," Dinah said quietly, as she stared at the brilliant column of light that stabbed into the night sky. "You were right, Ollie. This does bear investigating."

Oliver gestured at the well-lit camp that lay before them in the fields. "Looks like the calvary's already here. Let's see if they need our help."

Revving up the bike, he and Dinah rode off in the direction of the large camp site.

**B&B**

'Oh, God,' Olivia fearfully thought, as she and J'onn ran for their lives down a hallway.

The monsters seemed to be always right on their heels, no matter where they ran. Olivia didn't know what J'onn's condition was, but she was getting very tired. She wanted nothing more than to rest--but that was impossible right now.

They continued running down the hallway, towards an opened doorway.

Until one of the green monsters smashed through the wall in front of them.

Olivia came to a stop and was about to run away in the opposite direction, when she saw a second green monster coming up fast at them. She and J'onn were trapped in the hallway.

"Oh, Christ, no," Olivia moaned in despair at what she knew in her weary bones to be the end. "Alex, wherever you are, I love you."

"No," J'onn J'onzz said firmly. He shoved Olivia up against the wall. "Stay there, please."

Olivia watched, wide-eyed, as J'onn struck a savage blow to the first creature that attacked him. He punched it in the stomach, which caused the creature to momentarily bend over--when J'onn then balled his fists together and bashed it in the back of the head.

The staggering force of the blow had sent the creature straight into the floor, face-first. The impact caused a crater in the tiles, which shattered into a million pieces, exposing the concrete floor beneath--which itself had been cracked.

When the second creature attacked, J'onn's response was to pick up the first creature that he had punched out in his hands. Then he flung the now-dazed creature right at its brother. When they collided, the impact knocked the second creature to the floor--where it remained, growling weakly underneath the body of its knocked out comrade.

J'onn turned towards Olivia. "Are you all right?" he asked with concern.

"I'm good," Olivia said, awestruck at what she had just witnessed. "Um, you seem to be feeling much better, huh?"

"Yes, my full strength appears to be returning," he told her.

"You don't know how happy that make me," Olivia said, smiling. "Oh God, it looks like we might actually make it out of here alive!"

J'onn held ot his hand to her. "Come, Olivia, we must keep moving."

She took his hand and ran with him through the doorway. Once they emerged into a large hall, both Olivia and J'onn stopped short at the sight before them.

There must have been a hundred people standing before them. When they took notice of Olivia and J'onn, the large crowd all started racing towards them in an enraged fury, all shouting: "Starro…Starro…Starro…."

"This is what I get for being so frigging optimistic," Olivia muttered despondently.

**B&B**

Just outside the facilty, Superman and Batman began their assault. Superman flew low over the ground, while Batman and Robin flew high above just behind him. Before they left, Batman had fitted Superman with an earpiece that allowed them to communicate with each other.

"So far, so good," Superman said. "No activity from the laser batteries."

"You may not be close enough for them to notice you," Batman warned him. "Keep your guard up."

"Will do, I--wait, there they go now!"

Batman watched as the laser batteries that ringed the perimeter of the Warehouse 15 facility began firing furiously in Superman's direction. The Batwing's stealth technology apparently was still working in masking Batman and Robin from their target acquisition programs.

Then Batman leaned forward when he noticed something. The lasers were all green in color.

The same color as Kryptonite.

"Superman," Batman called over the communicator, "watch yourself! The lasers are--"

"Yes, I've noticed, Batman," Superman quickly replied. "I'm trying to see if I can--uuugh!"

Superman, who had been doing a good job of dodging the first barrage of lasers, was hit dead on by a second volley that consisted of no less then five laser blasts at the same time.

"DAMN IT!" Batman roared, as he helplessly watched the Man Of Steel fall unconscious to the ground.

"What?" Robin anxiously called from the back. "What just happened?"

"Just hold on," Batman told him, as he brought the Batwing into a sharp dive towards the ground.

Once the Batwing hovered over the prone Superman, Batman operated the bottom grapple and picked up the Man Of Steel by his cape.

The Batwing abruptly began to shudder violently, as the laser batteries now picked at it. 'They must have detected the heat from her engines,' Batman grimly realized.

"Batman, we're being fired on!" Robin called.

"Oh, you've noticed?" Batman sarcastically asked, as he sharply veered the Batwing out of the line of fire and towards the FBI camp. The unconscious Superman hung from under the chassis of the Batwing, and when they arrived over a clear area of the camp, Batman gently placed him down on the ground. Then he landed the Batwing about a hundred feet away.

When Batman and Robin ran over to Superman, they were grateful to see that, although weakened, the Man Of Steel was awake and sitting up. Agent Scully was bent down next to him, examining him.

"You all right?" Batman asked.

Superman gave him a weak nod. "Yeah, I just need…a few minutes…."

"We may not _have _a few minutes," Batman said, as he gazed up at the shaft of light, which seemed to have intensified in brightness. "The main laser's just getting stronger by the second. No telling how long the moon has before it explodes."

"Why blow up the moon?" Robin asked. "Wouldn't that cause major damage to the earth?"

"It would be cataclysmic," Superman said. "Most, if not all, of the human race would be wiped out."

"Why they're doing it doesn't matter," Batman said. "All that matters now is getting in that place and shutting them--and that laser--down."

Robin grabbed Batman's arm. "Look!"

When Batman turned around, he truly saw a sight for sore eyes.

Wonder Woman stood before him, with Green Lantern and the Flash on either side of her. And just behind Wonder Woman stood the Hawks, along with Green Arrow and Black Canary.

"Hello, Batman," Wonder Woman said, with a slight smile. "Would you be needing any of our help?"

**To Be Continued….**


	16. Chapter 16

_I'd like to thank futureforensic, piecesofyourheart, AnotherChance, D.J. Scales, and RebelByrdie, as always, for their words of encouragement. _

**Batman & Benson 3**

**Chapter Sixteen**

"Yes," Batman said, sounding grateful. "We could use all the help we can get right now. Thank you."

Batman quickly filled in Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, the Flash, Green Arrow, Black Canary and the Hawks on what had occurred.

"Lex Luthor," Wonder Woman said with distain. She glanced at Superman, who now stood with them, having shaken off the effects of the Kryptonite lasers. "I don't suppose he's been entirely truthful about the situation inside?"

Superman nodded. "You got that right. Although, for a change, Luthor actually has nothing to do with this situation. The lab's been obviously taken over by an alien of some kind. "

"So what's the plan?" Green Lantern asked.

"We attack in force," Batman replied.

Green Arrow shook his head. "No offense, but if the bad guys managed to take down Superman, then what good can _we_ do?"

"The enemy was expecting Superman, which was why it armed its laser batteries with Kryptonite," Batman told them. "But they're not expecting _us_. An all-out attack by all of us, as a team, is the best way to go."

"And time is of the essence," Superman added. "The main laser is increasing its intensity a tenfold every moment we waste here."

"Then let's hit them," Wonder Woman said. "As hard as we can."

**B&B**

"Starro….Starro….Starro…."

Olivia took a few steps away from the frenzied mob that ran towards her and J'onn. She was about to turn around and run back down the hallway that they'd had just emerged from, until Olivia saw an even worse sight: the two monstrous, green-colored creatures that J'onn took down weren't staying down.

They both got to their feet and let out spine-tingling roars when they saw Olivia and J'onn.

For his part, J'onn solemnly stared at the oncoming crowd who came at them, which was mostly made up of regular looking people--and even several children.

"I do not wish to fight them," J'onn told her. "For they are unwilling slaves who have no control over what they do, innocent pawns of the other, the one called Starro."

"I agree with you, but we need to do _something_," Olivia anxiously replied. "It'll be seconds before they're on top of us--not to mention that the terror twins just woke up back here, and they look mighty pissed!"

"I know," J'onn said, as he gazed at the catwalk that hung above him.

Olivia shook her head. There was no way for them to get up to the catwalk, which was several stories above them. "Look, J'onn, we really need to--"

"Forgive me," he abruptly said. "For I do not have time to explain."

With that, J'onn grabbed Olivia and pressed her close against his shoulder. Then he leapt, and Olivia's eyes grew wide with shock as she saw the floor, which was covered with the zombie-people, fall away from them.

"Whoa!" she cried, clinging to J'onn's neck, as he flew through the air with her. She didn't start breathing again until he landed with her on the catwalk, several stories above the enraged mob. "You didn't tell me you could fly, as well!"

"As I've stated before, I did not have the time," J'onn apologetically said. "Unfortunately, my strength is still not completely back to normal, or else I would have flown us completely out of here."

"Hey, I have no complaints with you, J'onn," Olivia said, as they began running across the catwalk. "You've been batting a thousand so far!"

He frowned at her. "What is 'batting?'"

"I'll take you to a game sometime and show you." Olivia noted that the mob followed them from several stories below, as they continued to chant the name Starro over and over again. Olivia was really getting tired of it. "Hey, any other powers you want to tell me about, J'onn? So I won't be surprised?"

He thought about it for a split second, then said, "I can also change shape."

Before Olivia could even react to that, both she and J'onn were knocked down to the metal grating as the catwalk violently shuddered underneath them.

When Olivia sat up and glanced over her shoulder, she felt a chill run up her spine.

One of the green creatures had jumped up and landed on the catwalk in back of them. "These guys can fly, too?!" Olivia cried.

"They were cloned from me," J'onn said, as he got to his feet. "It stands to reason that they have some, if not all, of my abilities. Make for the doorway on the opposite end, Olivia. I shall deal with this one."

However, no sooner did he say that then a second creature leapt up onto the catwalk. But it misjudged its own strength, and when it landed on the catwalk in front of Olivia, the metal grating collapsed under its weight. It let out an indignant roar as it fell down back to the floor several stories below, taking a large chunk of the catwalk with it.

"These things can't fly after all," Olivia called to J'onn. "They can jump really high, but that's about it. Thank God for small favors, huh?"

Yet J'onn was too busy battling the other creature to answer her. Olivia's eyes grew wide when she saw a third creature leapt onto the catwalk, just behind the on-going battle between J'onn and its brother.

'How many of these things are there, anyway?' Olivia wondered, feeling uneasy. Thanks to the collapsed catwalk section directly behind her, Olivia was now unable to reach the doorway that J'onn had mentioned.

Olivia let out a frightened cry when, amidst the frenzied battle, J'onn fell over the side of the catwalk--along with his green combatant.

"J'onn!" Olivia cried, as she leaned over the railing and watched in horror as he landed right on top of his opponent. He lay very still, seemingly knocked out--or at least Olivia hoped so. J'onn's superpowers seemed to rival that of Superman's, and she hoped that the Martian was as invulnerable as the Man Of Steel. "J'onn! Can you hear me?!"

Olivia flinched when she heard a low growling sound. She glanced over and saw that she was not alone on the catwalk, as the other green creature slowly crept over to her, its claws outstretched.

Of course, Olivia had to be standing with her back against a three story fall, while this damned thing blocked her escape to the door on the opposite end of the catwalk. Just perfect! She picked up a piece of long thin metal that had been broken off when the catwalk section collapsed. Olivia faced the creature with the piece of metal held up in her hands like a club.

"You may be cloned from J'onn," she told the snarling creature, "but you're nowhere near as classy as he is, you big oaf!"

The creature lunged towards Olivia, and she swung the metal club at it, missing completely. The creature hit Olivia with a backhand swing, and the powerful blow was enough to knock her down to the metal grating, her club falling from her hands.

"Oh, damn," she muttered, feeling dizzy, as she saw the monster loom over her. It raised one claw above its head, as if readying itself for the killing blow.

As Olivia helplessly watched that claw hover over her, something in the air above caught her attention. She glanced up and saw something amazing.

A winged female angel flew directly over her. Olivia momentarily wondered if this was truly the end; that the angel was waiting to collect her soul once she'd died--and then felt a brief flash of anger when she realized that she didn't want to die now, not when there was still so much stuff left to do.

Then, to Olivia's surprise, the angel let out a bloodcurdling battle cry as it swooped down and mercilessly bashed the back of the green creature's head with an iron mace.

The creature flinched from the shock of being struck by such a savage blow--then it swayed for a second, completely dazed, until it limply fell off the catwalk. It landed to the ground below with a loud boom that resonated in the large room.

The angel placed her mace in a holster on her leg, and landed right over Olivia.

"Are you all right?" the angel asked, as she peered down at Olivia. Her face looked like that of a hawk's, and she had a pair of gorgeous, sweeping feathered wings that folded against her back. Clad in skin tight green and red pants, with a scant top that exposed her mid-rift, her hawk-like face was actually some sort of helmet that she wore over her head. "Are you hurt?"

"No, um, I'm good," Olivia replied, as she let the strange hawk warrior woman help her to her feet. "Uh, you're not an angel, are you?"

"An angel?" the woman asked, her head cocked to one side in an oddly sweet impersonation of a bird. "Oh, no. I am Hawkgirl, a member of the Thangarian Royal Winged Police."

Olivia just blinked at her for a moment. Then she suddenly shook her head in disbelief and said, "Um, excuse me, but…you're a member of _the what?!_"

**B&B**

Superman was impressed.

Green Lantern had led the assault on the facility. He created a massive green shield that emitted from his power ring. The battery of lasers fired furiously at it, with no effect. And then, once the Lantern had arrived at the outer perimeter of the facility, he rammed his shield straight into the lasers, knocking an entire line of them over in a shower of sparks and explosions.

Once a breach had been established, the Flash then raced into action. He ran all around the facility at lightning speed, collecting the shards of Kryptonite which had powered each of the lasers. He did this so fast that the Flash was nothing but a red blur, even to Superman. And not only was he making the place safe for Superman, but the Flash had also effectively wiped out the remaining laser batteries by removing their power source.

Once he was done, carrying the shards of Kryptonite in a large sack that Agents Mulder and Scully had given him, the Flash raced off into the night. It wasn't a few seconds later that he returned with the sack empty.

"Sorry I took so long," he said in his affable manner. "But I went all the way to the middle of Lake Eerie to dump the Kryptonite."

"No problem," Superman said. He glanced at Wonder Woman and they shared a knowing smile. Only the Flash would find making a trip to the middle of a massive inland sea several hundred miles away--all within mere seconds--to be a slow jaunt.

As Superman and Wonder Woman sought the facility's power station, the Hawks shot right over them--letting out war whoops as they dove into an air vent--while the Lantern returned to the facility with the second wave of their team--Batman, Robin, Green Arrow and Black Canary--encased in a large green bubble. Setting the foursome down on the ground, where they took off for the nearest doorway, the Lantern came over and joined Superman and Wonder Woman. The Flash sped off on his own; armed with an earpiece communications device given to him by Batman, he would serve as a roving troubleshooter of sorts. The plan had been to split up once they got inside the facility.

"There," Superman pointed over at a concrete bunker-type structure. His X-ray vision revealed the whirling turbines beneath. "That's what we're looking for, so we'll…great Scott!"

"What is it?" Wonder Woman asked.

Superman scanned the power station once more to confirm what he had seen before. It was even more dire than he'd thought. "There are people--men women and children--standing all over the interior of the power station! It looks like they're being used as a living shield!"

"Hera," Wonder Woman dismally whispered. "Are they bound?"

Superman shook his head. "No, they're just standing there, all chanting something." After he listened with his super hearing, Superman repeated what they were saying: "Starro."

"Must be the name of our alien visitor, who's obviously a real devious SOB," Green Lantern said grimly. "So our original plan of barging in there is now out, because we might hurt those people. What's next?"

"We don't have to smash up things in there to put that power station out of action," Wonder Woman said.

"Agreed," Superman replied.

He scanned the ground for the main power lines that led from the turbines with his X-ray vision. When he found them, Superman switched over to his heat ray vision to slice through the lines, right beneath the ground. There was a huge flash, as the ground momentarily heaved from the release of so much power. Then the main power lines, with their connection broken, shorted out.

Several hundred feet away from them, the huge radar dish that had been converted into the main laser array abruptly sputtered, then went dead. The humongous laser which had burrowed into the moon for almost the last half hour was finally out of commission.

Wonder Woman undid the golden lasso from her belt, then used it to snag one of the support legs on the dish. Once she gave the lasso a good tug, it ripped out the support leg and toppled the dish onto its side.

What remained of the dish was then shattered into several unsalvageable pieces by a giant green fist that emanated from Green Lantern's power ring, which pounded the dish's remnants into the concrete.

"So much for the laser," Wonder Woman said, looking satisfied.

Green Lantern stared up at the moon. "It still looks intact. But am I seeing things, or is there now a new crater up there?"

"We'll check it out later," Superman said. "Right now, let's go introduce ourselves to this Starro."

**B&B**

"Wait," Batman said, as he held out a hand. "There're people in here."

He led Robin, Green Arrow and Black Canary over to a large conference room, where every space on the floor was taken up by the writhing bodies of several dozen people who were in obvious great pain--so much so that they were oblivious to the presence of Batman and the others.

"Good God," Green Arrow said, as he quickly disarmed his bow and put it away. "What the hell's wrong with them?"

"They look like they're all under assault," Canary replied, "by some kind of invisible force."

"Yes, they are," Batman nodded, as he gazed over the poor souls. "My guess would be that these are the people whose minds can not be controlled by the alien menace. And so they were dumped here, and placed under constant psychic attack, both as a means of keeping them out of the way--as well as to wear them down, perhaps to make them more easily enslavable."

"Batman," Robin pointed, "look!"

Batman saw none other than Mercy Graves lying on the floor in the corner. The sheer agonized look of pain and horror that she was gripped in almost made Batman feel sorry for the woman.

"Is Liv here?" Robin asked, looking around at the writhing people in desperation. "Please tell me she's not--"

"No, she's not," Batman solemnly replied. He had already quickly searched the faces of all the dark-haired women present, and didn't see her here. While Batman was relieved to see that Olivia wasn't one of these wretched beings who suffered a constant mental assault, he was still concerned as to where she might be, as well as for her welfare.

"There must be _something_ we can do for them," Black Canary said, gazing sadly at the hordes of writhing people.

"Find the bastard who's doing this and stop him," Green Arrow angrily said.

"But who knows how long that will take?" Robin shot back. "Some of these people look like they're at the end of their rope, Batman. They won't last very long being in constant pain like this."

"He's right," Canary added. "We need to do something _now_."

"I have knockout gas," Batman replied. "But this room is too big. It might not be enough to put them all out at once."

Green Arrow pulled an arrow from his backpack and loaded it onto his bow. "Allow me. Uh, you guys might want to stand out in the hall before I let this one fly."

Once Batman, Robin and Black Canary were safely behind him in the hallway, Green Arrow stood by the door and shot the knockout gas arrow at the ceiling in the conference room. And just as he had designed it, once the arrow hit the ceiling, it exploded, releasing a thick cloud of gas that slowly covered the whole room.

As Green Arrow closed the door, they could see the gas was already taking effect, as the group of poor souls abruptly ceased their moaning and writhing as they all drifted off into blessed unconsciousness.

"They should be out for a few hours, at least," Green Arrow said, as he shut the door.

"That's good news," Batman said. He just wished _he _had some good news concerning Olivia.

Batman's thoughts were interrupted when the voice of Hawkgirl--whom he had also given an earcomm to--could suddenly be heard. "Um, hello? Batman? Are you there?"

"Yes, Hawkgirl," Batman replied. "You have something to report?"

"Only that I have found Olivia Benson," Hawkgirl said, "and that she's fine. Would you like to speak with--?"

"LOOK OUT!" another female voice abruptly cried. It sounded like Olivia.

The message then ended in a burst of static.

"Hawkgirl?!" Batman shouted.

But there was no answer.

**B&B**

This was unacceptable, simply unacceptable!

Starro was enraged at the fact that not only was the main laser destroyed, but it was now beyond all repair--no matter how hard he pushed his slaves to do the job, it would not be back up and running anytime soon. It considered making the slaves who guarded the power station all kill themselves as punishment for letting this grievous thing occur.

Yet before Starro could come to a determination as to what to do next, It was startled when the ceiling above It abruptly caved in. Starro instinctively covered its eye and central body by closing its five limbs over itself, as chunks of concrete fell all around it.

When Starro uncovered Itself, It saw three of the so-called "super" beings hovering directly over It.

The female of the trio said, "Hello there."

The blue-garbed gnat with the red cape flew forward and said, "You must be Starro…."

To think that they actually presumed that they could speak directly to Starro as equals! How dare they! For that, they must die!

Starro promptly raised one of It's limbs and slammed the blue and red gnat into the wall.

**B&B**

"He's not going quietly!" Wonder Woman said, as she just barely ducked one of the giant starfish's limbs. "Superman, are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Superman said, as he slowly pulled himself out of the crater his body caused when Starro slammed him into the wall. "It's time to end this, now. What say we lasso this wayward calf?"

Wonder Woman smiled as she nodded in understanding.

"I'm not sure I'll have much effect on him directly," Green Lantern said, as he shot an emerald bolt from his power ring at Starro. He shook his head as the green energy fizzled against Starro's golden skin. "Just as I thought: my power ring has no effect on a yellow object."

"You should talk to the Guardians about that design flaw," Wonder Woman said, as she wrestled with two of Starro's limbs.

Superman propelled himself from the hole in the wall like a bullet, shooting his body towards Starro until he slammed into the mutated starfish's side, causing its single massive eye to bulge out in pain. Not giving Starro a moment to regroup, Superman flew up to where Wonder Woman was fighting with the starfish's limbs and helped her to hold all five of them together.

"GL can't use his ring," Superman said, as he struggled to hold the five tips of the massive starfish's limbs in a bunch. "And we can't stay like this forever."

"We won't need to," Wonder Woman said, as she pulled out her golden lasso and wrapped it around the tips of Starro's limbs, effectively tying him like a calf at the proverbial rodeo. "That should hold him."

In response, Starro let out a low, plaintive bellow that almost sounded indignant.

"He doesn't like this," Green Lantern said with a grin.

"Then he really won't like what's coming," Superman said. He checked all around them with his X-Ray vision. "We're clear of any people in this section. GL, can you make a big hole in the roof for us?"

"Now _that_ I can do," the Lantern replied, as he aimed his ring at the ceiling. "Brace yourselves!"

**B&B**

"Mr. Luthor," Snapper Carr, the reporter from Metropolis Nightly News asked, "is it a blow for you to see the amount of damage that the superheroes are causing to your facility?"

"Absolutely not," Luthor solemnly intoned. He was very much in his element as he stood before the army of news cameras. "Because, if there's anything that we at LexCorp value very highly, it's human life. I would rather lose this entire facility if it meant saving just one of the poor souls who are--"

He was interrupted when a massive explosion erupted from behind him, dead center in the Warehouse 15 facility. All the news cameras instantly swung towards the site, as a large emerald fist punched it's way up from the underground facility.

"Good God!" Luthor cried, stunned, as he helplessly watched billions of dollars of LexCorp construction costs go straight down the drain.

"What was that, Mr. Luthor?" Summer Gleeson sweetly asked, as she stuck a microphone right in his face. "Would you mind repeating that?"

"Uh, I-I said, thank God!" Luthor replied, quickly flashing a smile.

"Holy crap," one of the other reporters shouted, "look at that!"

All eyes went back to the hole in the ground as Superman arose, carrying what appeared to be a monstrous starfish in one hand. All five limbs of the starfish--which looked to be larger than a five story building--were bound at the tips, which Superman effortlessly held. This surreal scene almost looked as if the Man Of Steel carried a giant teardrop off into the night sky. Wonder Woman and Green Lantern flew off with him, in escort positions off to the sides and just behind the Man Of Steel--along with his massive, hapless captive.

**B&B**

"Woo-Hoo!" Chloe happily screamed, as she jumped up in front of the TV. "Go, Clark! Go!"

Lana couldn't help but burst into joyous laughter as she got up and joined Chloe in a impromptu victory dance in the hotel suite.

"Go, Clark! Go!" they both wildly cheered. "Woo-Hoo!"

**B&B**

"Oh my God," Rachel said, as she leaned closer to the TV. "Is that…a giant starfish?!"

"It would appear so, Miss Rachel," Alfred said, with a nod.

"Whatever it is," Alex muttered, "it looks like it's Superman's bitch now."

That caused Rachel to start giggling while Alfred gave Alex an approving look. The three of them sat on the couch in the living room, watching the epic events in Kansas unfold on the TV. Rachel had exchanged her meager tuxedo jacket for a more comfortable set of sweats.

"Very aptly stated, Alex," Alfred said, with a smile.

Rachel excitedly pointed at the TV. "Wait, that looks like Wonder Woman flying with Superman! I've heard of her, but this is the first time I've ever _seen_ her! Who's the other guy flying with them?"

"I believe the gentleman in the black and green outfit is known as the Green Lantern," Alfred said.

"But where's Liv?" Alex asked in a dismal whisper. "She's supposed to be there, but…I don't see her anywhere…."

**B&B**

Olivia stood waiting as Hawkgirl spoke to Batman on her earcomm, anxiously wanting nothing more than to talk to Bruce and assure him that she was all right.

But then she saw the green creature rise up from behind them, its claws outstretched in an attack stance, headed straight for Hawkgirl, who stood with her back facing it.

"LOOK OUT!" Olivia screamed.

Hawkgirl's reflexes were astonishing. With one sweeping motion she bent to one knee and brought up her mace, instantly blocking the creature's blow. The creature, who stood face to face with Hawkgirl, snarled furiously at her as she held it at bay with her mace.

"Olivia," Hawkgirl shouted. "Get out of here, now!"

"But what about you?" Olivia cried.

"I am fine," Hawkgirl replied, as she glared back at the creature with a snarl of her own. She then shoved off the edge of the damaged catwalk and took flight in the air. The creature almost fell--until it grabbed hold of her foot.

In response, Hawkgirl bashed the creature in the face with her mace until it released her foot and helplessly fell to the ground below.

'You Thangarians are tough coppers,' Olivia thought with admiration, as she ran towards the door at the other end of the catwalk. She glanced down at J'onn, who--thankfully--appeared to be waking up. Entering the doorway, she quickly descended the stairs, emerging on the floor just below the catwalk.

Olivia stared up at the air above her, transfixed on the stunning battle being fought against the green creatures by Hawkgirl and her counterpart, whom Olivia guessed had to be called Hawkman. Hawkman grabbed one the monsters by the back of its neck and slammed it into a concrete support column--which cracked from the impact of the creature slamming into it.

Then Hawkman swooped down on the still-dazed J'onn. Hawkman held up his mace, as if to strike J'onn--until Olivia placed herself right in-between them.

"STOP!" she shouted, waving her hands. "HE'S A GOOD GUY!"

Hawkman flung out his wings in a broad sweeping motion, which instantly ceased his forward motion. He stared at Olivia, as if she were a strange animal that just crawled out from under a rock. Then he did a graceful back-flip and soared right back into the battle, joining Hawkgirl's side.

Olivia's eyes went wide when she saw the Starro-zombies, who--thanks to the on-going battle with the Hawks and the creature clones--had all been wandering around in a confused state. Yet once she had screamed her head off to Hawkman, they had all taken notice of Olivia, and were now running over to her, with their hands outstretched.

"Oh, God," Olivia said, glancing down at J'onn. He still looked out of it--he was certainly too dazed for her to try to move.

Seeing the metal club that she held up on the catwalk, Olivia picked it up and stood in front of J'onn.

"STAY BACK!" she screamed at the on-coming hordes of Starro-zombies. But they would not heed her warning, and Olivia feared that she might actually have to strike at them with the metal club.

And there were several children scattered among the crowd, all of whom were racing mindlessly towards her in attack.

"Oh, dear God," Olivia murmured. "Please forgive me…."

Olivia brought up the club just as one of the zombies, a man, lunged at her--

--and then he disappeared.

Two more zombies, both women, jumped out from the front of the pack to attack Olivia--until they, too, also vanished.

Then Olivia saw her would-be attackers. The three of them lay on the floor before her, all fighting and wiggling. They were each tightly bound with what looked like clear plastic wrap--the same type used to secure freight on loading docks.

Olivia was then startled to see a reddish blur shoot right by her. It quickly circled the pack of oncoming zombies, continuously running around them in a tight circle, until they ceased their attack. The red blur kept circling around the mob of confused zombies--until a man with a goatee stepped over and held up a bow and arrow. He was dressed all in green, with a hood; he looked oddly like Robin Hood.

Olivia slowly shook her head. With the way this crazy night has been going so far, she wouldn't be surprised if that really _was_ Robin Hood standing there!

"All right, Flash," the man with the bow and arrow shouted, "get clear, buddy!"

The red blur vanished as the man shot the arrow over the crowd. The arrow instantly burst open into a large net that covered the zombies. The red blur then returned, as it gripped the edges of the net and made sure it covered all within the unruly crowd of zombies. Soon the mass of Starro-zombies were all corralled in the net. They were a mass of arms, legs and heads that poked out wherever there was a hole. And their chant of the name "Starro" was still a persistent, flat monotone.

Olivia watched this scene, mesmerized, until she felt a hand grab her shoulder from behind. Olivia instinctively whirled around to face this new threat as she brought the metal bar down to hit it.

Yet her blow was casually blocked; the metal bar effortlessly flicked out of her hands. Olivia stepped back, stunned, and stared in shock at her attacker. Until she realized that this was no attacker.

It was Batman.

"Hey sis," he casually said, with an approving nod. "Good to see your reflexes are as sharp as ever."

Olivia let out a joyous sob as she reached out and hugged Batman tightly. She had wanted to say how great it was to see him, but all that came out of Olivia right now were tears of relief. Apparently the events of this wild night had weighed far heavier upon her than Olivia had thought.

Batman held her firmly, as he whispered into her ear: "It's all right, Liv. You're all right, now. I've got you."

Olivia broke her embrace with the Dark Knight--only to give Robin a quick hug. A blond woman in a snazzy black outfit smiled warmly at them as the hooded Robin Hood guy leaned over and said to her: "Don't 'cha just love happy reunions?"

"Who's this?" Batman asked, staring at J'onn, who had wearily stood up.

"This is J'onn Jonzz," Olivia introduced him. "I found him strapped down in one of the labs here." Olivia paused for a moment, as she pondered how to tell them what she had to say next. "Um, he's from Mars."

"Mars?!" Robin asked, looking in amazement at J'onn. "I thought it was a dead planet!"

"It is," J'onn told him. "I am the last of my kind."

After introducing J'onn and Olivia to the others, Batman asked J'onn: "How did you get here?"

"I do not know," J'onn said, as his brow furrowed. "The last thing I remember was when I placed myself in stasis aboard the life ship and took off from my home planet. There was nothing left for me there. And the next thing I knew, when I awoke, I was here."

"Looks like Luthor's space program is a little more advanced than anybody had thought," the Flash said.

Olivia pointed at the army of green creatures whom the Hawks were presently fighting. "Those things were cloned from J'onn, by the people who ran this facility."

"You must be made of some pretty tough stuff, buddy," Green Arrow told J'onn, as he gazed out at the battle. "Because the Hawks are giving them everything they've got, and those guys _still _aren't going down easy!"

"Where's Superman, GL, Wonder Woman?" the Flash asked. "We could use some of the heavy hitters down here right about--"

He was cut off when the entire building around them rumbled violently. Even the Hawks ceased their battle with the green clones to momentarily glance up at the ceiling, which shuddered above them, but still held firm.

Then Olivia noticed something interesting. Once the building had settled down from whatever calamity that struck it, the captured Starro-slaves all abruptly stopped chanting that name. Several people within the net blinked their eyes as they glanced around, looking as if they had just woken up.

"There's your answer," Batman said, pointing at the slowly awakening zombies. "Starro's mind control over them is gone. It looks as if the 'heavy hitters' just took out the main threat."

"But the big green meanies are still giving the Hawks hell," Canary said, gesturing at the ongoing battle.

The Flash touched his ear as he tried to reach Superman via the earcomm. "Superman, come in. Superman?" He shook his head. "Nothing."

"They could just be out of range," Batman said.

"Or Starro just kicked their butts," Green Arrow suggested mordaciously.

"Where am I?" a woman in the net suddenly cried.

"Who are you?" a man within the net demanded. "Why are we here?"

"Oh God," another woman shouted in anguish, "where are my children?!"

Olivia's eyes grew wide when she realized that--now that they were no longer enslaved to Starro--there were over a hundred very panicky people who were waking up within the net right before them. She turned to the group of heroes and said, "Uh, guys, we've got another problem here…."

"No matter what happened to Superman and the others," Batman said, as he pulled out a grapple gun, "this is our mess, and it's now up to us to deal with it."

"Whatever your plan is," a weary Hawkgirl shouted at them, "do it quick! These fiends won't stay down!"

"Hawkgirl, Hawkman, keep holding them at bay until we get these people out of the room!" Batman shouted at her. "Then fall back when I tell you to! We're going to try to seal off the creatures within the room!"

Both of the Hawks nodded just before they dove back into the fight.

Olivia and J'onn helped the Batman and the others as they slashed the net open, which freed the group of extremely confused people. Once they were free, Olivia and the others hurriedly gestured for them to leave the room through the nearby doorway. Most of the former Starro zombies were understandably bewildered--yet the sight of the army of green creatures battling the Hawks in the distance served as a good motivator for them to get out of the room.

Once they were all clear, Batman said to the Flash, "We need some sort of explosives to seal off the room. Can you try and find some?"

Yet before the Flash could answer, Green Arrow said, "Wait, Batman." He then glanced at Black Canary. When she nodded at him, Arrow turned to Batman and said, "Canary can handle what you need, Batman."

"You sure?" Batman asked, uncertain.

Arrow nodded. "Trust me. She'll get the job done."

"Just give me plenty of room," Canary said. "Everybody please get behind me!"

When Batman finally gave the retreat signal to the Hawks, they abruptly broke off from the battle and soared through the doorway. This caused the green army of creatures to charge after them. J'onn effectively stopped this advance by picking up a forklift and throwing it straight at the oncoming creatures. This stopped them long enough for Canary to get into position.

"Everybody cover your ears!" Arrow yelled. "'cause the Canary's about to sing!"

Once Olivia covered her ears, she saw what Arrow had meant. The Black Canary let out such an intense shriek the likes of which Olivia had never heard before in her life. Glass shattered in the windows of an office, waves of dust were flung up on the concrete floor, and the advancing army of creatures were stopped dead in their tracks once more as the sonic blast struck them full on. They all staggered under the sheer force of the shriek that came from the Black Canary.

And the support columns--which had already taken a vicious beating today--all suddenly shattered, which brought down the roof…right on top the mob of the green creatures.

Canary ceased her shriek as she, Batman and Green Arrow ran into the safety of the hallway with everybody else. Canary, exhausted, abruptly collapsed--but Green Arrow grabbed her before she could hit the floor.

"Is she all right?" the Flash asked.

"I'm exhausted, but fine," Canary assured him, her voice a bare whisper.

"What's going on here?" a frightened teenaged girl wanted to know. "Where are my parents?"

"Why are we here?" a man who looked like a construction worker demanded. "Who are you people?"

"This place looks like a bomb shelter!" a woman cried. "Why are we in a bomb shelter?!"

"Is that Batman?" an amazed little boy asked. "Is Superman here, too?"

Despite the fact that she was bone-tired, Olivia quickly switched into cop mode as she held up her hands to the baffled and scared crowd. "Everybody please listen to me! It's all right! I'm Inspector Olivia Benson of the Gotham City Police. Just please remain calm, and do exactly as I say, and we'll get you out of here, ok?"

**B&B**

Superman brought Starro to the top of the world, to an empty stretch of the artic wasteland just a stone's throw away from the Fortress of Solitude. Once there, he directed the Green Lantern to dig up a pit large enough to hold Starro.

The Lantern quickly and efficiently did this by creating a massive green shovel with his ring that dug out the snow and ice. When this task was completed, Superman lowered the still-tied Starro into the pit, where Wonder Woman untied the five tips of the starfish's limbs, freeing it of her golden lasso.

As soon as Starro was free, it let out a harsh bellow as it tried to hit Wonder Woman, who easily avoided the blow. "He's still hot under the collar," she commented.

"Then let's cool him off," Superman said.

The Man Of Steel, the Lantern and Wonder Woman all shoved the several tons of ice and snow back into the pit, right on top of a billigerent Starro. Yet once covered by a blanket of ice, it wasn't long before the giant starfish became quiet and still, having literally been frozen.

Superman checked it with his X-ray vision, and was satisfied that Starro was still alive, but placed in a deep hybernation.

"Is that it?" Wonder Woman asked. "Do we just leave him buried here?"

"I'll contact the Guardians," the Lantern said. "They'll know what to do with him."

"Thanks, GL," Superman replied. "I'd feel better knowing Starro was in their hands."

The Lantern nodded. "No problem." Then he glanced at Wonder Woman with a puzzled expression on his face. "Aren't you cold?"

"No," she replied with a frown. "Should I be?"

"Well, it's just that you're dressed in that--" the Lantern started to say, before he abruptly stopped himself. "Never mind."

"C'mon," Superman said, "let's get back to Kansas…."

**B&B**

"That's right, Ted," the Gotham City news reporter on the scene said excitedly. "It appears that the crisis here is over--as you can see by the large number of people who are filing out of the LexCorp installation right now. And we've managed to get a sighting of Gotham City's own Inspector Olivia Benson."

"Let's clarify this, Bob," the anchor said. "Inspector Benson is no longer a hostage?"

Bob turned to somebody off camera and said, "We have that tape?" Then he glanced back to the TV camera and added, "Yes, Ted. Not only is Inspector Benson no longer a hostage, but it appears that she's even aiding the FBI on the scene here. Take a look."

Alex got up from the sofa and knelt down in front of the HD TV. When the image of Olivia appeared, speaking to a pair of FBI agents, Alex gently reached up and caressed her lover's face as the tears streamed from her eyes. "That's my baby," Alex said softly, as she wept tears of joy, "always helping others…."

Rachel, caught up in the emotion of the moment, quickly pulled out some tissues and began wiping her eyes with them as Alfred got up and placed his hands on Alex's shoulders. "See, Alex? She's fine."

"She looks tired," Alex said with concern, as she continued to caress the TV image of Olivia.

"She's had a very long night," he told her. "As have we all. Since we now know that Olivia is coming home safe--and it might be some time before she does--why don't we three retreat to the kitchen? I'll make us something to eat, all right?"

"Sounds good to me," Rachel said, as she got up from the sofa. "You coming, Alex?"

Alex grew annoyed when the image of Olivia was replaced by another image of the stream of people leaving the LexCorp facility. Then she reluctantly nodded as she got up from the TV. "Very well."

But before they could start walking towards the kitchen, Alex pulled Rachel and Alfred in for a group hug.

"She's all right!" Alex said joyfully, the tears welling up in her eyes again.

"Yes, she is," Rachel replied. "And she'll be home with you, soon."

"And when she does get home, Olivia is in so much trouble!" Alex added, as she angrily shook her head. "I mean, what was she thinking, making us worry like this?!"

**B&B**

"Inspector Benson, have you been checked out by the medics?" Agent Scully asked, as she and Mulder walked over to her.

"First thing when I arrived," Olivia replied. They stood on the edge of the FBI camp, which had now looked more like a refugee camp, thanks to the large crowds of the formerly disappeared who wandered here and there. Olivia had been taking in several heart-felt reunions between family members when Agent Scully came up to her. "Is it true that all of this was caused by a giant mutant starfish?"

"So it would seem," Mulder replied. "Superman and a few other of the heroes brought it out of the facility and flew off with it. Once they took Starro out of range, the people under his control--"

"It's control, Mulder," Scully corrected. "Starro was an It."

"Be that as it may, Scully, once they got It out of range, the people under Its control immediately woke up."

Olivia shook her head at the whole strange situation. Now that it was over, it almost felt like a weird dream. "This case must be one for the books for you guys, huh?"

"Well, we've seen our fair share of weirdness over the years," Scully said, with a sideways glance at Mulder.

"You've seen stuff weird enough to beat a giant mutant starfish?" Olivia asked, impressed.

"On the weirdness level, that certainly takes one of the top slots," Mulder told her. "But we've actually seen weirder stuff."

Olivia nodded. "So I guess the Martian shouldn't faze you."

Mulder looked stunned. "Martian? What Martian?"

"J'onn J'onzz, the big green guy?" Olivia said. "You didn't see him?"

"You're serious?!" Mulder asked, his eyes wide.

"Yeah, last I've seen of him, J'onn was hanging out with Superman and the others," Olivia said. "Over by the food tent."

"Uh, if you ladies will excuse me," Mulder said, as he took a few anxious steps away from them.

"Go ahead Mulder," Scully told him. "Go see your Martian."

Scully had a warm smile, shaking her head slightly, as she watched Mulder run off in search of J'onn. She turned to Olivia and was struck by how exhausted she appeared. "You look very tired, Inspector. Why don't you come lay down for a bit?"

"I've got a better idea," a voice said. "Why don't I take her home?"

Both Scully and Olivia turned to see the Batman emerging from the darkness just beyond the perimeter of the camp. Just beyond him hovered the Batwing, which blended so easily into the surrounding darkness that it would have been invisible had it not been for its blazing hovering thrusters.

"Yeah," Olivia said, as she fell into a weary embrace with him. "Home. That sounds great. I'm so done with this superhero stuff."

"You may not wear a mask, or have superpowers," Batman said, as they broke their embrace. "But you _are_ a superhero, Liv--to a lot of people."

"All right, c'mon," Olivia said shyly, as she tried to hide the deep blush of embarrassment that her face had. "Let's go!"

**B&B**

Kal-El and Wonder Woman both watched as Olivia and the Batman hugged each other by the side of the Batwing. Kal-El glanced over and saw the Amazonian Princess wiping away a tear.

"Do you still think he's inhuman?" Kal-El gently asked her.

"No," Wonder Woman replied, with a slight hitch in her voice.

"C'mon," Kal-El said. "Let's go say goodbye."

They flew over just as Batman and Olivia had gotten into the Batwing. The canopy was still up, and Olivia sat in the back with Robin--they both looked slightly crushed in the single rear seat. Batman was about to press the button that closed the canopy when he saw Kal-El and Wonder Woman standing there.

"Just wanted to say thank you for all your help," Kal-El told him.

"And thank you both for yours," Batman replied. "Oh, and…Superman?"

"Yes?"

Batman grew thoughtful for a second. "Are you still thinking about forming that superhero group?"

"Yes. Why? You thinking of joining?"

Batman nodded. "I'd like to. That's assuming you'd still have me."

"In a heartbeat!" Wonder Woman quickly said.

"Very well," Batman said. "If either of you need to contact me--for anything--you can use the Bat-signal in Gotham City."

They waved as the Batwing soared off into the night sky. Then Wonder Woman glanced over at Kal-El and said, "What are you thinking, Kal?"

He grinned at her. "Dianna, I think we have a group to assemble."

**To Be Concluded...in the next, and last, chapter. **


	17. Chapter 17

_I'd like to thank, D.J. Scales, futureforensic, AnotherChance, RebelByrdie, randomblueeydblonde...along with all the other people who have written reviews while I posted this story. Thank you all very much. _

**Batman & Benson 3**

**Chapter Seventeen **

Bernie Romano stood on the dock, watching intently as the people got off the boat. As the warm tropical breeze blew over the beach, seagulls took flight in the air behind him--their laughter sounding harsh to Bernie's ears.

'And even if they really were laughing at me, they'd be right,' Bernie thought. 'After all, who am I kidding, standing here with my hat in my hand? I ran from Gotham City like a coward!'

Still, a hope-filled Bernie stared at each new arrival as they got off the tourist boat. They were mostly vacationers looking for a fun time in the Caribbean sun. Whenever he would see a young girl, Bernie would do a double take--until he'd realized that it wasn't Ellen and Darleen.

'That's it, then,' Bernie thought, once he saw the boat had emptied its passengers. 'They didn't come….'

Just before leaving Gotham City, after discreetly making sure that Ellen and Darleen were all right, Bernie had mailed them a letter. He explained in full detail what had happened, how he had become involved with Two-Face, and he had apologized profusely to both of them.

He told them in the letter that he had enough money squirreled away, and that if they wanted to come live with him, they could. Bernie left some of the money in the envelope for them to use for airfare. He gave then a specific time on a specific day that he would be waiting on the main dock of the island where he'd escaped to--it was a place that did not have an extradition treaty with the U.S. If they didn't show, then Bernie would know they no longer wanted any part of him and just move on as best he could.

He realized that he was taking a major chance in more ways than one--not only by being rejected by them, but also by leaving himself open to being captured by U.S. authorities. But Bernie had thought the risk was well worth taking. Ellen and Darleen were well worth it.

"…_Bernie…!"_

But they didn't come. Bernie was on his own, again. He would miss them terribly. But maybe it was better this way. He morosely began to walk away.

"…_Bernie…!"_

After all, he was just a dumb, good for nothing, son of a--

"…_Bernie…Bernie…Bernie!"_

He stopped walking when he thought he heard his name being called. He glanced up at the seagulls and shook his head. Of course. It was just these stupid birds.

That was when something slammed into the side of his leg. He glanced down and was stunned to see Darleen hugging him tightly.

"Hiya, Bernie!" she said, laughing joyously. She turned to stare down the dock. "Mommy, he was really surprised!"

Bernie was further stunned to see a smiling Ellen walking up to him. Clad in a cheerful summery dress, she lugged a pair of suitcases in her hands. Placing them down on the ground, Ellen planted a kiss on his lips and said, "We decided to take an early boat. Hope you didn't mind."

"Not at all," Bernie said. He was just extremely grateful to see them. "Listen, I just want to apologize again for what--"

Ellen hushed him with her hand. "You didn't even have to apologize in the letter, Bernie. Darleen and I both understood the situation. Hell, we were even taken hostage by that Two-Face monster! You're still a decent man. You were simply forced into a very bad situation, that's all."

"You don't hate me," Bernie asked. "Really?"

Ellen gazed meaningfully into his eyes. "We never hated you. I love you, Bernie. Darleen loves you, too."

"Do we have a house right on the beach, Bernie?" Darleen asked, as she excitedly hopped up and down.

"It's not right on the beach, but close enough to it," he replied. "Would you guys like to see it?"

"We'd love to," Ellen told him. "C'mon, Darleen, let's go see our new house!"

The three of them then walked down the beach, all holding hands like the family they had become. And Bernie could not help but cry tears of joy.

He finally felt free.

**B&B**

Bruce Wayne strode into Wayne Tech that morning as a man with a purpose. Now that Harvey Dent was in jail, and the crisis in Kansas had been adverted, Bruce had made a decision regarding a project at Wayne Tech that had been collecting dust--a project that would be of better use elsewhere.

"Morning, Bruce," Lucius Fox said, as Bruce entered the spacious office. They were both alone and the doors were closed. "Spectacular job--both with Two-Face and with the situation in Kansas."

"Thanks, Lucius, but the fact was that I had a lot of help with both situations," Bruce said, as he settled down behind his desk. "Which is why I'm here today."

"I've got to admit, I'm surprised to see you so soon," Lucius said. "After all that, you deserved some time off."

"I just wanted to come in to talk to you about something," Bruce said. "You know how, from time to time, I've 'borrowed' an item or two from Wayne Tech for use in my 'hobby?'"

Lucius nodded. "Of course. And I've certainly have no problem with that. As I've said to you before, Bruce, as far as I'm concerned, all this stuff is yours, anyway. So, what little item are you 'borrowing' for your 'hobby' this time?"

"The space station," Bruce said.

Lucius stared at him as if he were crazy. "Wait…what? The space station? You want…the space station?!"

"Yeah," Bruce said with a smile. "What's the matter, Lucius? You _did_ say that everything here is mine anyway, right?"

"Well, yeah, that's right. But what, may I ask, does Batman need with a space station?"

"It's not for Batman, per se," Bruce said. "It's for his friends. See, they've decided to start a little club and, well--let's just say they need a clubhouse."

"The space station?"

Bruce nodded. "The space station."

"You're actually going to put it in space?" Lucius asked.

"Well, officially, Wayne Tech will disassemble the station and place it in permanent junk storage," Bruce said. "Which is what I'm hoping you'll set up for me on paper, Lucius."

"Ok," Lucius said--although he still stared at Bruce as if he were insane. "But, unofficially, what's going to happen?"

"The space station will be up where it belongs, in space."

"And if this will be done unofficially, then how do you plan on putting it up there?"

Bruce smiled again. "I know people. Placing a space station in permanent orbit above the earth won't be a problem for them."

"Sounds like some very impressive friends you've got, Bruce."

"They are, indeed. Which is why I'm going through all this trouble for them."

After a thoughtful pause, Lucius nodded. "Consider it done, Bruce. Hope your friends enjoy their new clubhouse."

**B&B**

"There she is!" Harvey Bullock shouted.

And with that, the entire SVU bullpen erupted into wild applause as Olivia entered with Alex.

"Oh God," Olivia said, shaking her head at the riotous applause. "C'mon, guys…really!"

"Nonsense, my love, you deserve it," Alex told her. She took her hand. "Come over here and see the cake."

"There's a cake?!" Olivia cried, amazed.

Alex showed her a large chocolate cake decorated with an edible starfish on the top. There was a little white icing word balloon beside the starfish that read: "Welcome back, Liv!"

"Oh my God!" Olivia muttered, placing her hands over her face. "I'm gonna have fun slicing up this sucker!"

"Olivia's told me that, since returning from Kansas, she's sworn off seafood," Alex said to the crowd, which generated much laughter.

Olivia happily hugged Linda and Renee in greeting--and she even gave Harvey Bullock a kiss on the cheek, to which he grumpily muttered something about how it was about time Olivia had returned to work, because it just wasn't the same without her.

Olivia had started cutting up the cake for everybody when Rachel, along with Jim & Barbra Gordon entered the bullpen. She had already seen them before--except for Barbra. And so Olivia stopped cutting the cake and exchanged a tight hug with the girl, whom she hadn't seen since that night in Two-Face's hideout.

"I'm so glad you're ok," Barbra whispered into Olivia's ear. "And I'm sorry for breaking my word to you, about going out again as Batgirl."

Olivia had wanted to talk to Barbra about how she came to team up with Catwoman again. But this was neither the time or place for such a conversation. "I'd like to talk to you more about that some other time, sweetie," Olivia whispered back. "Promise?"

Barbra nodded. "Promise, Liv."

"Sorry to drag you from the party," Gordon said. "But Rachel and I need to speak to you, in private."

"I'll take over cutting the cake," Alex offered. "You go ahead, Liv."

When they reconvened in Olivia's office, she couldn't help but note that both Rachel and Jim looked grim. "What's wrong? Metropolis won't turn over Graves?"

"No, we got Mercy Graves back in Gotham City police custody," Gordon assured her. He appeared very uneasy, and glanced at Rachel for help.

"The problem is what Graves and her defense team are up to," Rachel told Olivia. She looked very angry. "Graves must be Lex Luthor's favorite employee, because he just bought her a killer legal team to represent her in court."

"Let me guess," Olivia said. "She's taking the insanity defense."

Rachel shook her head. "It's much worse than that, Liv. Graves is claiming to have been under the mind control of Starro the entire time. Your kidnapping, the attempted murder of Lana Lang--it's all being swept under the same defense: that Starro made her do it."

Olivia shook her head, outraged. "You know that's a goddamn lie!"

"Of course we do," Gordon said. He sounded just as angry as Olivia felt. "And she's not going to get away with it!"

But the solemn expression on Rachel's face told Olivia otherwise.

Olivia just nodded grimly at her. "She _is_ going to get away with it, isn't she?"

"Olivia, I'll prosecute this case myself, if I have to," Rachel promised her. "I'll do everything within my power to see that Graves gets justice. But you need to understand that the situation in Kansas was chaotic at best."

"You've got to be kidding me, Rachel!" Gordon said, stunned. "You're not actually suggesting…well, what the hell _are _you saying, anyway?"

"Jim, all of the people who were under the mind control of Starro have been granted full and complete amnesty by the Justice Department," Rachel said. "Now, that includes the people who directly fired upon FBI agents who tried to approach the facility, as well as the people who built the giant laser that nearly blew away the moon."

"But Graves wasn't at the facility when that happened," Olivia said.

"I know, and I'll argue that point in court," Rachel replied. "But, given this situation--where it's been made very clear that a mass of law abiding people were forced to commit illegal acts while under the mind control of a _mutated starfish_?" Rachel dismally shook her head. "As I've said, Liv, I shall do my level best with this case. But it's anybody's guess as to how a jury will decide this one."

"I understand, Rachel," Olivia told her sincerely. "Really, I do. This is whole new legal territory for you, isn't it?"

"You have no idea," Rachel said, annoyed. "Since the age of superheroes--and super villains--has dawned, the legal system has been in a constant race just to keep abreast of the latest developments. Now, of all things, it's mind control…."

"It actually makes you miss dealing with the regular, everyday scum," Gordon muttered.

"Speaking of which," Olivia said. "How's the case with Harvey Dent coming along?"

"It's not," Gordon said. "The psychiatrists at Arkham Asylum have completed their examination of Harvey, and they say that he's mentally unfit to stand trial."

"Harvey will now become a permanent resident of Arkham," Rachel said. "And I really can't say I have a problem with that assessment. The Two-Face case is finally over and done. I'm more than happy to just let it go."

Olivia nodded. "Maybe Harvey will finally get the help he needs now."

"True. But if he's ever cured of his insanity, he'll still have to stand trial," Gordon said. "He's responsible for the deaths of so many people, Liv."

"Alex was right," Olivia said, as she gazed at her lover through the office windows. Alex was busy serving cake to everybody in the squad. "We really lost Harvey a long time ago…."

Both Rachel and Gordon had to leave, thanks to having to deal with other matters in each of their respective departments. Olivia rejoined the party, and gladly accepted a piece of cake from Barbra. "Did you get a slice for yourself, hon?"

"I can't, I gotta go with dad," she said, gesturing at her father, who waved to her. Barbara then appeared hesitant.

"Is something wrong?" Olivia asked. She bent down as Barbra came close to her.

"I just wanted to tell you that I know all about how Bruce Wayne is the Batman," Barbra whispered into Olivia's ear. "I saw the Batcave under his house. But don't worry, Liv, his secret is safe with me."

Barbra then gave a shocked Olivia an affectionate peck on the cheek before she quickly left to join her father.

"What is it?" Alex asked Olivia with concern, after Barbara had left.

"Um, I'll tell you later," Olivia told her, as stood up and went to take a bite of her cake. Olivia couldn't help but notice that she got the piece with the "Welcome back Liv!" message.

'Welcome back…indeed,' Olivia thought, as she took a bite of her cake. 'Welcome back to Gotham City, and to all of its dark complexities….'

**B&B**

When Dick entered the Batcave, he found Bruce sitting at the main computer. He walked up from behind Bruce and viewed the headlines that were splashed across the screen.

"Catwoman steals valuable gem from museum!" screamed one of the headlines, while another read: "Bad Kitty!"

Dick couldn't help but smile at the front page image of Catwoman--taken from a video security camera--where she posed smiling broadly with the diamond held in her right hand, while her left hand waved right at the camera lens. It looked as if Catwoman wanted people to know that she was the one who pulled off this job.

"For a while there, I'd would have bet that Catwoman had chosen to work on the side of the angels," Bruce said.

"Yeah, but now it's obvious that she's gone back over to the dark side of the Force," Dick replied. "I guess she's our next Big Bad to hunt down tonight, huh?"

Bruce shook his head in the negative. "Catwoman is probably miles away from Gotham City by now. But I'll keep an eye out for her nevertheless." He glanced up at Dick. "And what's with this 'we' crap, anyway?"

Dick stared at him, stunned. "I thought I was helping you!"

"You are--you're helping me right here, in the Batcave. We never said anything about you actually joining me on patrol." He stood up and shook his head as Dick continued to stare at him in shock. "What? You go for one joyride with me and that automatically entitles you to out on patrol with the Batman? How do I know you can truly handle yourself out there, Dick?"

"Why don't you find out?" Dick said, annoyed. "Try me."

Bruce smiled. "Very well."

They went upstairs to the gym in the mansion, where they removed their shoes and stood facing each other on the padded workout floor.

"How do you want it?" Dick asked, as he assumed a combat stance.

"Just come at me," Bruce told him. "And don't hold back."

And so Dick did exactly that--he charged at Bruce with all of his fury.

And the next thing he knew, Dick lay flat on his back, staring at the ceiling.

Bruce stood over him, staring at him expectantly. "Again."

'What the hell?' Dick thought, as he got to his feet. He felt exasperated, as well as very uneasy--for he had no memory of Bruce even touching him, let alone being knocked down to the mat.

Dick attacked Bruce once more--and this time, he _did_ remember it. Dick remembered how Bruce effortlessly blocked his attack, grabbed him by the neck, and flung him down once more to the mat.

As Dick lay in a heap, Bruce came over and said, "Very good."

"What?" Dick replied, staring up at him incredulously. "You can't mean me!"

"I do mean you," Bruce said, as he helped him up. "You _can_ fight, Dick. You've got the basic skills down. Where did you learn it?"

"I was a child acrobat in a circus," Dick replied. "I was a boy who wore tights! I had no choice but to learn how to fight at an early age, Bruce. But not that _that _means anything to you. You've been flinging me around here like I was a rag doll!"

"You have no idea of the intense level of training I went through, nor the type of person who taught me what I know," Bruce said solemnly. "I was a good fighter even before I met Ra's Al Ghul, but he and his group raised my fighting skill up to the level of where it is today."

"Too bad that Ra's Al Ghul guy is dead," Dick said. "Or else he could have taught me some of what he taught you."

Bruce shook his head. "Trust me, Dick, you wouldn't have wanted to meet him. And while you can never learn his combat skills directly from him, you _can _still learn them--from me. You've got plenty of spirit, Dick. And, if you're willing, I'll be happy to show you how to take your fighting skills to the next level."

"Oh, wow!" Dick happily said. "Yes, of course! Thanks, Bruce!"

They grasped hands--but before they could shake on it, Bruce paused and said, "Robin won't be a fulltime job for you. You're still going to school, and eventually, to college, understand? I want you to keep your options open beyond this life."

"Yes, I will," Dick promised. "And thank you. I mean that."

"Not a problem. Welcome to the team…Robin."

**B&B**

Several weeks later, Olivia sat in the viewing stand of a courtroom in Gotham City. A pensive Alex sat next to her--and next to Alex sat Lana Lang and Chloe Sullivan. On the other side of the wooden railing, seated at the prosecutor's table was Rachel, along with Donald Reyes, her Second. At the defense table sat Mercy Graves and her crack team of attorneys. Graves, who was clad in a conservatively-styled dress, with her blond hair grown long and in twin pig-tails, sat serenely reading her copy of the bible.

'Some piece of work you are!' Olivia angrily thought, as she glared with disgust at Graves. Every single day of the trial, Graves had shown up in her little goody two-shoes outfit, clinging to her bible like it was her one lifeline to God, who was her best and only true friend.

Seated behind Graves and her team in the viewing stand was Lex Luthor, who had performed his own little song and dance earlier this week at the Congressional hearings that sought to find out what went wrong at the Warehouse 15 facility. To the chargrin of state and federal investigators--as well as to Superman and the other heroes who fought so bravely there--all records at Warehouse 15, both digital and printed, had mysteriously vanished.

When questioned by the senators about the presence of J'onn at his facility, Luthor had pleaded ignorance, blaming the Martian's captivity--along with the cloning of those terrible creatures from him--all on Starro. The son of a bitch had really turned on the charm in the televised hearings, and the senators, along with most of the media, ate it all up. Luthor walked away from the senate hearings completely absolved of all blame in the Starro incident.

'And now he's trying to help his little thug bitch to beat her rap as well,' Olivia thought with scorn.

Elliot leaned forward from behind Olivia and Alex and whispered, "I've been looking at old chrome dome over there, and wondering if I should just shave off what's left of my meager hair. What do you think, ladies? Would the Luthor look be good for me?"

"No, don't encourage him!" Dani said, scowling. "I like your hair the way it is."

Olivia just grinned back at them. Both Elliot and Dani had come to Gotham City for a case, but they stayed on to lend Olivia some much-needed support on this, the last day of her kidnapping court case.

When she glanced back at Elliot and Dani, Olivia saw Gordon, Montoya and Bullock standing along the walls at the back of the courtroom.

Finally, the judge took his seat on the bench and announced that the jury had come to a verdict. Once the jury had been seated, the forewoman stood up to read the verdicts.

"How do you find the accused on the charge of the attempted murder of Lana Lang?" the judge asked.

"Not guilty, your Honor," the woman said primly.

Lana just sat there, shaking her head, while Chloe placed her arm around her in comfort. But there was still one more verdict to be read.

"And how do you find the accused on the charge of kidnapping in the first degree of Inspector Olivia Benson?"

"Not guilty, your Honor!"

"Looks like Starro's taking the blame for this, too," Olivia said glumly. Alex steadily held her hands in support. "Hope he's got good lawyers."

Elliot reached out and affectionately squeezed Olivia's shoulder. "Don't let it get to you, kid. Graves is nothing but a pure scum of the earth; she'll get caught again."

"Thanks, El," Olivia said, as she got up from her seat. "Having you and Dani here means a lot to me. And you, too," she added, giving Alex a hug. She glanced at a disappointed Lana. "How are you holding up?"

"Better than I thought," Lana replied. "I was half expecting this outcome, anyway."

A distraught Rachel came up to them. "Liv, Lana, I am so sorry…."

"No, it's not your fault," Olivia told her. "Don't blame yourself."

"She's right," Lana added. "You put up a great fight."

"Inspector Benson," Luthor cordially said, as he and Mercy strolled past her. "It's good to see you've made it through the Kansas crisis safe and sound."

"Yeah, no thanks to you," Olivia shot back.

Luthor merely smiled. "Looks like I'll just have to get used to that sharp wit of yours from now on, Inspector. Nice to have finally met you."

They watched as Luthor and Graves continued to walk out of the courtroom. Then Graves paused by the doorway, where she dumped her bible right into the garbage pail. She then turned towards all of them and blew everybody a mocking kiss before strutting out the door.

"Low class bitch," Montoya snarled, as she, Bullock and Gordon joined the rest of them by the front of the viewing section.

Yet, despite that obvious flaunting of her win by Mercy, something else bothered Olivia even more. Something that Luthor had said to her. "What did Luthor mean when he said he would have to get used to my wit from now on?"

"We've been meaning to tell you," Lana said. "Chloe undercovered evidence that LexCorp is opening an office here in Gotham City."

Chloe nodded. "And not only that, but I've heard that Lex is even in the market to buy a home here, as well."

"Lex Luthor is moving to Gotham City?" Gordon said. "Good God, as if we don't have enough problems…."

"But why?" Rachel asked. "What does he think we have that Metropolis doesn't?"

"It's what you don't have," Chloe replied. "Superman."

"At least you know ahead of time," Lana said, "so you can all be on guard for him when he finally does arrive."

"If only there was some way of preventing him from moving here altogether," Alex said.

Olivia glanced at Gordon. "This looks like it might be a case for our mutual friend."

Gordon just smiled knowingly at her.

**B&B**

Lex Luthor had a smile on his face as he hung up the phone. It was a smart move for him to leave Mercy behind in Gotham City to set everything up. And, according to her, the big move was going according to plan. She'd reported that Gotham City was fertile ground for them to set up base. She had already made contact with several people in the Gotham underworld who would be of big help to them. Once again, Mercy had proven herself to be a viable asset for Luthor. She was well-worth the time, money and effort it took to get her off the attempted murder/kidnapping charges.

As for Gotham City itself--well, Luthor couldn't imagine why he didn't consider moving his operations there sooner. The place was almost as lawless as the Old West, only it was on the east coast. Granted, there were the usual do-gooders who were working to fight against the rampant corruption--the very same corruption which Luthor had found so attractive--but he had plans to deal with them all one by one.

Starting with the Batman.

Luthor stopped to admire himself on the HD TV in his office, which played a recorded session of him as he spoke before the senate hearing earlier this week. Luthor nodded in approval, thinking he did a great snow job on the gullible senators, who were actually dumb enough to believe everything he said.

He glanced at his watch, and realized that he was a few minutes late for the meeting that he had scheduled, which was just as well. They will be still there, waiting for him, no matter how late he was. Because he was the man with the money. Luthor would be meeting with a dozen of the most lethal men in the world. A cadre of mercenaries, ex-commandos and free-lance assassins whom he had collected to go on a bat-hunting trip in Gotham City.

Lex Luthor was no fool. He knew full well that he couldn't just open up shop in Gotham City without expecting trouble from the so-called Dark Knight. So he figured the best thing to do would be to get rid of Batman by making a hard and fast first strike with a team of professional hunters and killers. And then, once Batman was out of the way, it would be all too easy for his men to pick off the other do-gooders in Gotham: like Gordon, Dawes, and that dyke Benson.

'It's just like taking candy from a baby,' Luthor smugly thought, as he strode into the airy conference room. Taking a deep breath, he turned to face his little lethal army. "I'd just want to thank you all for c--"

Luthor froze up in fear at the sight before him.

The men--his carefully assembled collection of killers, human hunters and assassins--all lay sprawled out on the floor of the conference room. There were assorted weapons that lay scattered around their bodies, and Luthor even saw several bullet holes in his walls.

And then he heard it.

The sound of a man crying, or whimpering….

Luthor slowly, fearfully, peered around the corner and saw Jock Bellacoe, an ex-SAS commando who had become a legendary killer for hire, on his knees in a darkened alcove. A shadowy figure had its hand on Jock's throat, holding him there. When the shadowy figure's head turned towards Luthor, he saw it had a pair of bat ears on the top.

"Lex Luthor," the shadowy monster said, in a cold, demonic voice, "just the man I wanted to see…."

The shadowy figure released Jock, and the burly man instantly collapsed to the floor like a limp sack.

The shadowy figure spread out its arms--which exposed its vast bat wings--as it gestured at the army of men who now all lay defeated on the floor. "Is _this_ the best you can do?"

"OH MY GOD!" Luthor shouted in terror.

He spun around and ran back towards his office as fast as he could.

But Batman was faster.

Luthor felt a pair of hands grab him from behind in an iron vise-like grip, and he was slammed against the wall by his desk. Before Luthor could even feel the pain, Batman grabbed him by the throat and hauled him out onto the patio.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN GOTHAM CITY?!" the Batman bellowed right into Luthor's face. "IN _MY_ CITY?!"

"Oh Jesus! Oh Jesus!" was all Luthor could think of saying. This wasn't Superman; this wasn't some overgrown boy scout who was constantly hampered by his own polite, farm boy manners. This…this…_thing_ was an unstoppable, unrelenting monster that can't be reasoned with, or simply ignored. And from the looks of what was left of Luthor's little army in the conferenece room, it also appeared that the Batman couldn't be killed, as well. "Oh Jesus! Oh Jesus, please!"

"Jesus?" Batman asked. Then he nodded. "If you're going to declare war on me, then you'd _better_ pray to Jesus. Because you'll need all the help you can get."

With that, the Batman casually tossed Luthor right over the railing of the patio. Luthor let out a horrified cry as he rapidly fell away from the safety of the patio--and then he abruptly stopped in midair.

Luthor stared up at the cord that was tied around his ankles--the other end of which was attached to the patio railing. He didn't know when Batman had the time to tie it to him, and he didn't really care right now.

Batman hunched over the railing and glared down at him. "This is your only warning, Luthor. Stay out of my city! If not, when we meet again, I won't be as kind and tender as I was to you tonight."

The Batman then dove off the patio. Luthor, thinking he was going to attack him again, cringed in fear. But, after a few minutes, he realized that the Batman was gone.

He was relieved, but there was another problem. Luthor presently dangled upside down about one hundred stories over the Metropolis streets. He normally wasn't prone to a fear of heights, but he couldn't help but be very worried right now.

It took the better part of a half an hour before members of his security team--during a regular sweep of the office--found him. It may have been only a half an hour, but to Luthor, it felt more like he'd dangled out there for years.

After they'd hauled him back inside, Luthor took a seat at his desk. His entire body was shaking, and it wasn't from being cold.

"You can leave, now," Luthor told the security men. "I'm fine."

Before they reluctantly did so, Luthor gave them one more order: "There's a bunch of unconscious gentlemen in the conference room. Please escort them off the premises."

The security guards all gave each other puzzled looks as they went to do Luthor's bidding.

As Luthor sat at the table, he thought long and hard about what he was about to do. But, no matter how he tried to rationalize it, the plain fact was that if the Batman was able to get to him now, he'll be able to do it again. Luthor simply had to admit to himself that he had seriously underestimated the Dark Knight.

And to do so again may well be disastrous.

Luthor reached for the phone. His hand was shaking, but he ignored it and sped-dialed Mercy's number. When she answered, he said, "Cancel everything. Suspend all operations in Gotham City."

After a pause, she said, "Very well. I take it you'll want to use the legitimate presence of LexCorp to cover our operations here?"

"You don't understand me, Mercy," Luthor said, his tone sounding dangerous. "I want to suspend _all _operations in Gotham City, everything! Scrap the LexCorp offices, as well as the undercover projects. And after you've shut down everything there, I want you and the others back here in Metropolis, ASAP. Gotham City is hereby off limits to _all_ LexCorp employees, myself included."

"Uh…yes sir," Mercy said, sounding very confused. But she knew better than to openly admit it. "Right away, sir."

"If Batman loves that rat-hole so much, he can have it!" Luthor said, just before he slammed the phone back into its cradle.

**B&B**

When Barbra Gordon was invited by Olivia over to Wayne Manor for a pool party, she braced herself for what was to come. She knew full well there remained a confrontation of sorts since that night when she went out as Batgirl--thankfully, it was averted at Liv's welcome back party in police headquarters. But Barbra realized that it had been merely postponed…until now.

However, once she arrived at Wayne Manor, Barbra was treated with nothing but kindness and respect by everyone. If Olivia, Alex, Rachel, Dick and Alfred were angry at her for going out as Batgirl, they never mentioned it. Bruce was nowhere to be seen, and when she asked where he was, Rachel answered that he was still asleep.

"He had a late night last night," she had said. "He'll join us later."

And so Barbra spent the next few hours splashing in the pool with everyone else--all except for Alfred, who seemed content with serving them whatever drinks and snacks they required on this hot summer's day.

After a while, Alfred came out and told everyone that Master Bruce had awakened, and would very much like to see Barbara--in the Batcave.

Barbra, who had been having fun in the pool playing a game of Marco Polo with everybody else, stood there in chest-deep water, staring at Alfred in shock. This was the first time she had heard him mention the Batcave, and Barbra wasn't used to hearing him say it in such a casual manner.

Rachel quickly excused herself from the game and got out of the pool. She hurriedly dried herself off as she anxiously ran into the manor.

Dick and Alex gazed at Barbra sheepishly, as if feeling sorry for her, while Olivia slowly got out of the pool by ascending the steps. Grabbing a towel and drying herself off, Olivia glanced back at Barbra and said, "Hey Babs, c'mon!"

Barbra got out of the pool with the air of a condemned woman heading to the gas chamber. She mechanically dried herself off with her towel, worriedly wondering about what Bruce was going to say to her. Was he mad? There was no indication of that from Alfred or the others.

"Um, Babs? You might want to put on a shirt, hon," Olivia said, as she slipped on a loose, Moroccan-style top over her two piece bathing suit. "It can get a little chilly in the Batcave sometimes."

Barbra pulled a t-shirt on over her one-piece, and then followed Olivia and Alfred into the manor, and down the secret passageway the led to the Batcave. Once they emerged on the second story ledge that overlooked the Batcave, Barbra's fear at facing Bruce was momentarily replaced by the awe of seeing the Batcave once more.

Bruce sat at a workstation on one of the platforms, with Rachel standing next to him, still clad only in her bikini. She was arguing with Bruce as passionately as she argued her cases in court, and as Barbra walked to the elevator with Olivia and Alfred, she overheard part of their conversation.

"She's just a kid, Bruce," Rachel said. "Please bear that in mind when you speak with her. Ok?"

"Rachel--" Bruce had started to say, and that was all Barbra heard before she stepped into the elevator.

"Um, Rachel told me that Bruce had a late night last night," Barbra said, trying to make conversation in order to gauge the mood. "Was he out as Batman?"

Alfred nodded. "In Metropolis…delivering a message."

Barbra's eyes grew wide at that. "Did whoever he was sending the message to get it?"

"Oh yeah!" Olivia replied, laughing. "You could say he got it loud and clear!"

The elevator door opened and they stepped out into the Batcave proper. Rachel and Bruce abruptly stopped their heated conversation when they saw Barbra approach.

"Hello, Barbra," Bruce said. "Or should I call you Batgirl?"

Barbra felt her face blush with embarrassment. "I'm sorry!"

"Come here," Bruce said gently, as he pulled out a chair for her. "Have a seat."

As Barbra took a seat across from him, both Rachel and Olivia hung over them, both looking anxiously at Bruce--until Alfred strode up to them and said, "I was just thinking of polishing the giant penny, and was wondering if you two ladies would like to help me?"

They both glared angrily at him, knowing full well that he was angling to give Bruce and Barbra some privacy. But they still left with him anyway.

"Barbra, you don't have to explain how or why you became Batgirl to me," Bruce said. "But please answer me one thing: do your parents know?"

"No," Barbra admitted in a small voice. "And I don't want them to."

"Are you planning on going out again as Batgirl?"

She shook her head. "No."

"Good. Then there's no reason why they should be told. Don't get me wrong; I really appreciate the fact that you tried to help me, and I thank you for your help. But what you did was very dangerous. Your father is one of my best friends, and I know it would kill him--as well as your mom--if anything bad were to happen to you."

"I understand," she said.

"Well, you know my secret now, and--by the way, how did you find _that_ out?"

Barbra explained how she found the Batcave on the night when Bruce and Rachel had been abducted.

"Looks like I also have to thank you for protecting my secret from your dad," Bruce said, when she was finished. "Tell me something else: how did you come to team up with Catwoman?"

Barbra explained their initial meeting, as well as the second time they met, when she got lost. "Catwoman offered to help," she said, with a shrug. "And so, I let her."

"And she helped you to free the hostages that Two-Face held captive?"

Barbra nodded. "She doesn't seem to be that bad…."

"You're right, Catwoman may not be as bad as some of the other criminals I've pursued," Bruce said. "But she's still a criminal, and not somebody whom you should hang out with on a regular basis, understand?"

"Oh yes!" Barbra said, as she nodded her head vigorously. "In fact, before we parted ways that night, I warned her that, if I ever saw her again, that I would consider her an enemy and turn her in."

"And what did Catwoman say to that?"

"She just laughed at me!" Barbra said, looking irritated. "She can be really annoying, you know?"

Bruce had a slight smile. "Yeah, that sounds like Catwoman, all right."

"I am so sorry, Bruce, if I caused you any trouble," Barbra said. "Like I told you before, I just wanted to help."

"You still can, but not as Batgirl," he said. "You know that you're always welcome here at Wayne Manor, Barbara. And now, that welcome extends to the Batcave, as well. You can help out here, in the Batcave, with research or whatever else Batman might need. What do you say?"

**B&B**

"You know, this is ridiculous!" Olivia said, as she and Rachel stood polishing the huge penny with rags that Alfred had given them. She turned to Alfred, who stood behind them, inspecting their work. "You wanted to get us away from Bruce and Barbra so they'd have some privacy. We get it, Alfred. You didn't really have to--"

Alfred abruptly pointed at a section of the penny. "You missed a spot, Liv."

"Oh." Olivia obediently turned and scrubbed hard at the section that he had pointed out--until she caught herself. She glanced over and saw that Rachel actually stood on tiptoe as she tried to reach a higher section of the penny.

"You're the district attorney of Gotham City, and I'm the commander of one of the city's elite police units, and look at what we're doing here!" Olivia said, as both she and Rachel burst into laughter at the absurdity of the situation.

Alfred was smiling broadly as the took the rags from them. "Thank you very much, ladies."

"You sure you don't want to get a ladder?" Rachel asked, grinning. "We haven't done the top half…."

"Don't give him any ideas!" Olivia told her.

"Oh, gawd, yes!" Barbra suddenly cried. "I'd love to! Thank you, Bruce!"

"I guess that went well," Olivia said, as they watched Barbra shake Bruce's hand vigorously.

After Bruce gestured for them to come over, he told them about the arrangement he'd made with Barbra, who would now have access to the Batcave, and would help out here whenever she could. Even without this arrangement, Barbra had firmly agreed that her days gallivanting around the city as Batgirl were over.

Alex and Dick emerged from the elevator. "So, have we decided what we're going to do with Babs?" Dick asked Bruce. "Throw her in the crocodile pit, or roast her on the flame-broiled spit?"

"Neither," Bruce told him, as he gazed affectionately down at a smiling Barbra. "I figure we'll throw her back in the pool for a while and let her marinate for a bit, first. And I think I'll join you guys this time."

"Hey, Liv," Dick said. "I've got another idea for a name for you."

Olivia just shook her head. Ever since she had returned, Dick--who was impressed at how Olivia handled herself in both the Two-Face and Starro incidents--had been inundating her with various ideas for a superhero name. "Oh, will you please knock it off, Dick!"

"Listen, just listen," he insisted. "How about this for your superhero name: the Huntress!"

Olivia was about to tell him just how crazy the whole idea was until the main computer began to beep an alarm. On the main screen flashed: "INCOMING MESSAGE."

When Bruce went over and punched some buttons, the following text message appeared on the screen: _B, It's on for tonight. \S/_

"Looks like the Batman will be attending a special occasion tonight," Bruce said. He glanced at Olivia and added, "You doing anything later, Liv?"

**B&B**

They stood under a moonless night in an open field, just a few miles away from Wayne Manor. The Batmobile, in which they both rode to this seemingly empty destination, was parked nearby and covered in its protective armored plating, looking like a dark armadillo that was hunched low on the ground.

Olivia shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe this is happening."

"It's happening, Liv," Batman told her. "Tonight's the first official meeting, and you're invited."

Olivia gazed all around her in the vast, open field. "Here?"

"No, this is the pick up point."

"Who's picking us--oh!"

Olivia was startled to see the emerald and black-clad man fly towards them. He stopped, hovering just over them, and smiled. "Welcome aboard Green Lantern airlines."

A large green bubble formed from the ring on his right fist. It was slightly translucent, with a doorway that slid open.

Olivia stared at this, then gave Batman a mortified look. "Are we supposed to go in that?!"

"Would you like to be present at the very first meeting of the Justice League?" Batman asked her. "Then you have to step inside the big green ball. It's perfectly safe, Liv."

"All right," Olivia muttered, as she reluctantly stepped inside the bubble with Batman. Standing inside it felt weird; although the surface was slightly transparent, it was also luminous.

When they lifted off from the ground and shot into the night sky, an overwhelmed Olivia clung to Batman, who held her firmly. But as much as she wanted to close her eyes, Olivia kept them open--and, in the end, she was glad that she did.

The space station was a marvel. Five stories tall, it floated like a sentinel in the inky blackness of space. Green Lantern brought them right into the docking bay, and once the massive doors slid shut behind them, and the room pressurized, he opened the door of the green sphere.

Olivia stepped out, amazed to be on board a space station that was actually in orbit above the earth. She wondered if this trip technically made her an astronaut.

Even the Batman looked surprised. "There's gravity here…."

"Yes, thanks to Superman," Green Lantern said, as he landed on the floor. "He augmented the satellite with Kryptonian technology. Come with me."

They rode up in an elevator, and when the doors opened, Olivia was further stunned at the sight before her.

It looked as if the vast meeting chamber was filled with just about every superhero Olivia has ever seen--including a few she hadn't seen before. Superman stood speaking with Wonder Woman and the Flash. Green Arrow and the Black Canary chatted with the Hawks, while Olivia was stunned to see Spider-Man crawling upside down on the ceiling. Taking note of her, Spider-Man waved hello. Olivia, smiling weakly, waved back.

"You've met Spider-Man?" Batman asked.

"I've heard of him," Olivia said. "This is the first time I've seen him."

Olivia saw a man in a blue and gold outfit with a helmet speaking intently to another man and a woman. The other man had black hair with a mustache, and wore a cape over his elaborately designed outfit. The young woman was dressed in a tuxedo that was designed for her figure, with fishnet stockings and a top hat.

"That would be our magical contingent," Green Lantern said, smiling. "That's Dr. Fate, Dr. Strange, and Zatanna."

"And who's _that_ guy?" Olivia asked, nodding at the man who stood all by himself in the corner. He appeared to have no face under the fedora he wore.

"He's known as The Question," Green Lantern said. "Don't let him corner you, or else he'll go on and on with his conspiracy theories."

They joined Superman when he waved for them to come over. "Welcome Batman, Inspector Benson. Glad you could make it."

"Wouldn't miss this occasion," Batman said. "Looks like quite the turn out here."

"More are promising to join," the Flash said. "Iron Man would have been here, but he was busy." He suddenly waved at someone. "Hey! The Red Tornado made it."

"I'm very pleased to see you, Batman," Wonder Woman said. "Especially since you once told us that you worked alone. I was just wondering--what changed your mind?"

With a glance at Olivia, Batman said, "Let's just say that, since then, I've learned the value of having good friends to depend on."

As the meeting went on, Olivia drifted over to the window, where she spotted someone familiar, J'onn J'onzz. After greeting him with a hug, he told her that he had been staying at Superman's Fortress Of Solitude.

"I wish to stay here, on Earth, and help in anyway I can," he told her. "To that end, I've joined the Justice League."

"That's really great, J'onn." Olivia's attention was diverted to the view outside the window. It was the surface of the earth, which was half covered in clouds, and it looked beautiful.

"We are coming up on the east coast of Africa," J'onn told her. "I've learned some of your geology while at Superman's fortress." He pointed. "That's Madagascar coming up now."

But Olivia was struck at how, from up this high, you could not make out the boarders of countries. Floating from this angelic perspective, the various regions of the entire earth just blended peacefully into each other without discord or turmoil. If every single human being saw the world like this, as a single, united globe, Olivia wondered if all the wars would vanish overnight. If nothing else, it would certainly offer people a different outlook to think about.

When she told J'onn this, he nodded. "Hopefully, that kind of world peace is what this new group will help bring about. That, and plenty of good-will, which is certainly not lacking in this room."

"It seems like you're all off to a good start already," Olivia said, smiling.

**B&B**

When Olivia and Bruce returned to Wayne Manor later that night, they found everyone--Alex, Rachel, Dick, Barbra and Alfred--watching the news in the main living room. Overwhelmed by questions about how the first meeting of the Justice League went, Olivia and Bruce tried to answer them as best they could--until Alfred suggested they all take their conversation into the kitchen, where he had both tea and coffee brewing.

Everybody gladly filed into the kitchen, all laughing and talking…and completely forgetting that the TV set had been left on.

The evening news continued playing to an empty room with the sports (the Gotham Knights reported for their training season next week) and weather (more sweltering heat and humidity; which wasn't surprising, since these were the dog days of July). Then came the final, "light news" report.

"And finally," the anchor said, "Nancy Werner, our 'What's Weird in Gotham' reporter, has uncovered a real strange case in Gotham City's Southside. Nancy?"

The image changed to a young woman who, despite the summer heat, was still stylishly dressed. "That's right, Bob. While the rest of the city melts in this summer heat wave, over here on East Kane Avenue, they got…snow?"

The picture changed to a panning shot of a sidewalk that was covered in a thin sheet of white. "By the time we got here," Werner continued, "it had already mostly melted away, but residents of this Southside neighborhood tell us that the entire street was covered in almost a foot of snow and ice, as if it were a winter's day!"

"Nancy," the anchor cut in, "do they know what caused the snow?"

The image returned to the perky young reporter, who flashed a million dollar smile at the camera. "No idea, Bob. But it sure looks like old man winter has come early to Gotham City this year!"

**The End…for now. **


End file.
